By residing in a contemporary society where individual appearances are heavily influenced by pop-culture, many women may define their ideal beauty and body type as slim and hairless. However, this definition is problematic as this “ideal” standard of beauty can only be achieved by a small group of women who have the required biological framework. Often, many women cannot meet these standards due to varying hormonal and dietary issues. PCOS affects over 4-5 million women worldwide and has negative implications on their menstrual cycle, reproductive ability, and metabolic activity (Goodarzi & Azziz, 2006). The aim of the video is to create awareness and educate the public about PCOS and its characteristic traits such as amenorrhea, hirsutism, obesity, and enlarged cystic ovaries (Homburg, 2008). To aid in the explanation and provide a thorough, but appropriate level of detail, the video will have a pathophysiology section explaining how testosterone levels are increased within the body which can lead to an upregulation of the aforementioned symptoms. The video will also explain the risk factors and the common medications used to treat the symptoms. The topic will be explained through a presentation characterized by animations and voice-over narrations. It will elucidate the characteristics of PCOS, and discuss its symptoms, pathophysiology, risk factors, and treatment plans. The main target audience for the video is the general public (high school and older), who may be interested in learning more about PCOS.

This video was created by McMaster University student Nayab Zafar in collaboration with the McMaster Demystifying Medicine program.

Please see:    • Pathophysiology of Polycystic Ovarian...   for Part II

Copyright McMaster University 2017

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