On Tuesday 3 June, in the Health and Women's Rights committee, MP Loubna Azghoud (MR) questioned Health Minister Yves Coppieters about the glaring lack of awareness, early diagnosis, specific support and official data on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder affecting 1 in 10 women of childbearing age.
“This subject has only been raised once in this parliament. Yet it is the most common endocrine disorder among women of childbearing age. It's time to act!”
PCOS is a hormonal, metabolic and reproductive disorder that manifests through irregular or absent menstrual cycles, fertility problems, acne, excessive hair growth, weight gain, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and uterine cancer. Diagnosis is based on the Rotterdam criteria: hyperandrogenism, ovulation disorders and the ultrasound appearance of the ovaries.
“PCOS is not just a gynaecological condition. Its effects can be psychological, social or metabolic. If the condition is accompanied by hirsutism, it also affects the patient's body image,” Loubna Azghoud emphasised.
A lack of recognition within the healthcare system
Yet in Belgium, up to 70% of women affected are unaware they have the condition. To date, there is no official epidemiological data, no national awareness campaign, no systematic screening programme, and no information leaflets for the general public. PCOS is barely mentioned in relationship and sex education programmes and rarely addressed in ongoing training for healthcare professionals.
An invisibility with serious consequences
PCOS has a profound impact on women's quality of life: pain, isolation, a complex fertility journey, mental strain… The lack of institutional recognition only worsens these difficulties. “Diagnoses often take a long time. The lack of information delays treatment and disadvantages patients,” insists Loubna Azghoud, a trained nurse who herself was only diagnosed after 20 years of medical wandering, despite three ovarian operations.
The minister acknowledged the importance of the issue, pointing out that nearly 50% of those affected have difficulty conceiving, and that current treatment is purely symptomatic. “It aims to ease the symptoms of the condition, without unfortunately curing it.” He also mentioned initiatives by associations such as SOPK Europe, as well as campaigns like “Les visages du SOPK” and “Omises”, but admitted the absence of a specific Belgian study and targeted public policy.
The Liberal MP is calling for a concrete action plan:
-Launch a national awareness campaign, with information materials accessible to the general public and young girls.
-Train healthcare professionals to better identify and manage this syndrome.
-Support affected women, to break isolation and promote an appropriate care pathway.
-Systematically integrate PCOS into relationship and sex education programmes and school prevention.
-Collect reliable epidemiological data to better understand and address the reality of PCOS in Belgium.
“It's time to break the silence around PCOS. No more suffering in silence. No more staying invisible.” Loubna Azghoud, MR MP