Florence Pugh is hoping to encourage more women to take their health more seriously by sharing her experience with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, and endometriosis ― both of which can impact fertility.
The “Little Women” actor, 28, spoke candidly about her recent diagnosis on Tuesday’s episode of the “She MD” podcast.
“I had this sudden feeling that I should go and get everything checked. I’d had a few weird dreams, I think my body was telling me,” Pugh explained.
She then met with Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, a gynecologist who also happens to be one of the podcast’s hosts, to address her concerns. The doctor’s assessment, she said, was “mind-boggling.”
“She asked if I’d ever had an egg count done, and I was like, “No, what do you mean? I’m so young. Why do I need an egg count?’” Pugh explained.
After Aliabadi conducted the egg count, she confirmed that Pugh had PCOS and endometriosis and urged the actor ― who was 27 at the time ― to freeze her eggs if she planned to have children in the future.
“It was just so bizarre because my family are baby making machines,” Pugh said. “When Mom had babies into her 40s, my gran had babies throughout. I just never assumed that I was going to be in any way different and that there was going to be an issue with it. It just really wasn’t a red flag for me.”
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PCOS is caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. Symptoms can include irregular menstrual periods, and it is one of the most common causes of infertility in women.
Endometriosis is a condition in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus, or endometrium, grow outside the uterus, resulting in lower egg count and quality.
In her “She MD” chat, Pugh said she considered herself “really lucky” to have received her diagnosis at a relatively young age, given that women can live with either condition for years without being made aware.
“I’ve been able to tell my friends about what I’m going through,” she noted. “And since then, I think two or three of my friends have gone to go and get checked because of my findings, and they’ve also found that they have the same thing.”
Pugh, who was previously in a relationship with fellow actor Zach Braff, has been hinting at her desire to start a family in interviews.
“I want to go and find love and I want to have babies,” she told British Vogue in September, before noting: “It’s just figuring out when.”
Listen to Florence Pugh’s “She MD” interview below. Her remarks on her diagnosis begin around the 3:53 mark.