All the stars who have opened up about their experiences with PCOS
PCOS gallery
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that affects between eight and 13 percent of people with female reproductive organs in Australia, many of whom go undiagnosed for years.
In a bid to raise awareness and spark important conversations about the incurable condition, many famous faces have shared their own experiences getting diagnosed and managing symptoms like hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, weight fluctuations and cysts in the ovaries.
Keep reading to see all the stars who have opened up about their experiences with PCOS, and what they said.
Jools Oliver
Jools Oliver suspected there was something amiss with her reproductive health as young as 17, when she noticed her periods were irregular.
After marrying celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in 2000, the couple decided to start a family but struggled to conceive. That's when Jools learned her suspicions were correct.
"I was quite quickly diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which meant that I wasn't ovulating each month like normal," she told People in 2009.
"You hear horror stories and you think it's going to be hard, but I didn't care. I just wanted a baby."
She was prescribed medication that came with several difficult side effects to help her fall pregnant and has since welcomed five children.
Florence Pugh
Don't Worry Darling actress Florence Pugh shared that she had been diagnosed with PCOS and endometriosis in an episode of the She MD podcast in November 2024.
"I'd had a few weird dreams and I think my body was telling me. And I then asked my close friends if they knew any amazing gynaecologists and then I met [Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi]," she said (Aliabadi is one of the podcast hosts).
After receiving her diagnoses, Pugh underwent an egg count and subsequently decided to freeze some eggs to preserve her fertility.
"It was just so bizarre because my family are baby-making machines. My mum had babies into her 40s, my gran had babies throughout …. she had so many kids as well," she said.
"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."
Victoria Beckham
Best known for her time with the Spice Girls and marriage to football star David Beckham, Victoria Beckham was diagnosed with PCOS while trying to fall pregnant with her and David's fourth child, Harper.
She felt an overwhelming pressure while trying to conceive and struggled with the questions about her family plans at first.
"I tried to dodge these questions with a vague response and a smile, but now, I have resorted to overt, brutal honesty,' Beckham reportedly told Now magazine.
"I keep that big smile and say something like, 'Actually, I'm struggling with infertility because of my PCOS, so my husband and I have been through several fertility treatments. No baby yet, but it'll happen soon!"
She gave birth to Harper in 2011.
Rebel Wilson
During her health journey in 2020, Rebel Wilson opened up about being diagnosed with PCOS as a younger woman and the challenges she'd faced with the condition.
"I've been overweight for about 20 years. I started gaining weight when I was about 20. I had something called PCOS– polycystic ovarian syndrome – and I gained weight rapidly," she told E! News in 2020
"It's just a hormone imbalance and you gain a lot of weight usually and that's how it manifested in me. Sometimes, I feel sad, but then at the same time, I worked my body to my advantage. I like being all sizes. It's just now turning 40, I am more health conscious and thinking of starting a family."
She later shared that the condition led her to freeze her eggs in the hopes of starting a family someday, which she has since done with fiancée Ramona Agruma. They welcomed daughter Royce in 2022 via surrogate.
Lea Michele
When Lea Michele was a teen, she suffered with "terrible skin" until doctors put her on birth control. Then in her late 20s, when she came off the medication, everything went pear shaped.
"That's when everything happened—the return to bad skin and, this time, weight gain. I didn't know what was going on," she told Health years ago.
"I went to a great doctor, and the minute she looked at me, she was like, 'Oh, you have PCOS.' It explained everything."
The Glee star said she felt fortunate that she's been able to manage her PCOS through diet and lifestyle changes, as many women suffer more "extreme" symptoms that require more intensive management.
"Mine is not as intense, which is why I haven't really talked about it, because there are women who have it so much more intense," she confessed.
Bebe Rexha
Bebe Rexha has been refreshingly open with her PCOS experience after fans flooded her with supportive messages the first few times she mentioned it.
Speaking about the condition on TikTok, the singer revealed there have been times where her period has lasted for 20 days and other times when it simply hasn't come at all.
She also shared that PCOS has made it difficult for her to maintain a weight she's comfortable with.
Keke Palmer
Two symptoms helped Keke Palmer discover she had PCOS: adult acne and facial hair.
"I started to zero in on the fact that, you know, for me to have dealt with acne past puberty in the way that I did, there had to be something deeper going on. And that's when I came upon PCOS," she shared on The Tamron Hall Show.
"I kind of discovered that that's what I was dealing with, and it answered a lot of the questions to, not only why I had acne, but why I grow hair on my face or under my chin."
Her story resonated with her fans, many of whom praised her for sharing the so-called "unflattering" symptoms of the condition so openly.
"It was it was essentially ... a selfish act of saying, 'Hey, I still love myself despite what I might be going through, and if you're dealing with something like this, I love you, too.' And then to see the fans' response to me, it really meant a lot," Palmer added.
Erin Barnett
Love Island Australia's Erin Barnett suffered for almost 15 years with debilitating pain and other symptoms caused by PCOS, endometriosis and adenomyosis.
But when she asked doctors for a hysterectomy she was initially turned away.
"When did we stop being in charge of our own bodies?" she told 9honey at the time.
"People always talk about your body, your choice but it's not like that at all. You actually don't get much of a choice in your body."
She underwent a hysterectomy in 2023.
Romee Strijd
Former Victoria's Secret model Romee Strijd opened up about her painful history of PCOS when she announced her pregnancy in 2020.
"Two years ago I got diagnosed with PCOS after not getting my period for seven years. I was devastated because being a mom and starting a family with @laurensvleeuwen is my biggest dream," she wrote on Instagram.
"I was so scared that I would never be able to because I got told it was harder to get babies in a natural way."
The model was overjoyed when she fell pregnant after pursuing treatment for PCOS and has since welcomed two children with longtime love Laurens van Leeuwen.
View more galleries
Most viewed in Lifestyle
Fresh blow for Prince Harry days after King’s letter clarifying his and Meghan’s royal status
Australia’s best supermarket party pies have been crowned
Harry hasn’t spoken to king since return, takes issue with ‘private citizens’ wording
Royals make first balcony appearance after king’s funeral as Marius Borg Høiby’s inclusion draws attention
