Hi crew, I'm growing my Armpits4August to raise money for Verity, the charity for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) sufferers.

Around 1 in 6 women are sufferers of PCOS. That means out of every 6 of your friends, one of them has it. Have you ever heard of it though? Symptoms can be minor for some, but for others, having PCOS can absoutely destroy their self-confidence.

From Verity's site "I felt worthless and unattractive, I stopped going out and needless to say, my relationship suffered and soon ended. I didn't want to live, I didn't understand my body and didn't seem to be able to control my symptoms, my weight, excessive hair, moods and all."

Internal symptoms include irregularity of periods and reduced fertility but the external symptoms are things which are indescribably tough to deal with in our body-beautiful-obsessed society: weight problems; unwanted facial or body hair; oily skin/acne and depression or mood changes. Diagnosis is currently poor, with lots of GPs sending women off for pregnancy test after pregnancy test, unsure as to the cause of unexpected weight gain and subsequently telling them they just need to try harder to lose weight.

For people that I know who have PCOS, it's a heartbreakingly lonely time. There is currently no cure for PCOS and it's talked about rarely in the media. 

Please donate whatever you can afford, and talk to your friends about PCOS. If you want photographic evidence of hair growth, just ask and I'll put some up! I'm on day 5 and I'd say it's half a centimetre long already.

Some quotes from sufferers:

"Please, if you are reading this never give up or be too downhearted, there are people that do care like the wonderful people that run and support this charity. Don't let PCOS ruin your life or change who you are as a person. I shall carry on with yet again another diet and carry on plucking my ever growing facial hair (LOL) and hope the future brings more positive things for all of us!"

"I think there a terrible stigma exists around this condition, which is the only thing I can say about my treatment by the medical profession. I want to say to all ladies out there is be strong. I inherited this condition from my father’s family, of whom I am one of only four females in five generations. None except one has had children as they didn't get the help they needed in good time. I am now determined to get help and help others like me to feel positive and stay strong."

"I have no-one I can talk to about this as no-one seems to understand, least of all my GP. I genuinely can't imagine going on this way and have tried to end it, bar for my believe in God I would not have given up trying. I feel like crying at least once a day, even at my happiest. I dread the summer months as I have hair everywhere like I said, and attempts to remove it has resulted in worse hair growth. Despite all this, Verity has given hope to me in knowing there are people who understand and who will not judge me, who will try to help and support me and I hope all PCOS sufferers discover this lifeline. "

Symptoms usually start in adolescence, although some women do not develop them until their early to mid twenties.  The condition has long-term health implications as women with PCOS may have an increased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Verity aims to help you understand your condition, to manage your symptoms and support you through what can be a lonely and emotional time.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS):

• affects millions of women in the UK and worldwide
• runs in families
• is one of the leading causes of fertility problems in women
• affects a woman’s appearance and self-esteem.
• if not properly managed, can lead to additional health problems in later life

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.