September is PCOS awareness month and given that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that affects 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, we're tipping our (virtual!) hats to the team at @helloalphamd who announced on Sept 1 that they are expanding their services in order to further their mission of empowering women when it comes to reproductive healthcare.

There are no single tests that can diagnose PCOS, which has proven to be a major drawback for consumers suffering symptoms without a clear treatment plan. Medical providers can diagnose and treat patients based on their symptoms, past medical history, and family history, and they may advise completing blood tests to rule out other health conditions.

Alpha Medical, whose services are available in 46 states is partnering with Quest Diagnostics to administer optional blood tests. With or without the blood tests, an Alpha Provider will contact users to discuss the results of their blood tests and determine the best next steps, treatments, and medications based on the symptoms.

“With this expansion in the conditions we help diagnose and treat, Alpha Medical can shine a light on PCOS and educate women about their reproductive health," said Gloria Lau, Co-founder & CEO of Alpha Medical.

This is good news, and coupled with the company's bold stance on reproductive rights and autonomy in the face of ongoing political attacks, we're hoping more medical companies and leaders will follow suit in ensuring access for all.

Learn more about Alpha Medical and PCOS during September by clicking the link in our bio! 💊

#PCOS #PCOSawarenessmonth #alphamedical #reprorights #women #health #reprohealthcare #autonomy #friday #instagood #medical #best

Check out some of our fave lewks from the Met Gala, where this year's theme was American Independence:

1. Poet Amanda Gorman whose dress, designed by Vera Wang, was inspired by the Statue of Liberty. She accessorized with a clutch in the shape of a book with the words "Give Us Your Tired", which are words from the Emma Lazarus famous 1883 sonnet “The New Colossus”: “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”…

2. AOC rockin' a striking dress and message, in line with her political focus, about ensuring billionaires pay their fair share of taxes. Dress designed by @aurorajames, a sustainably focused, Black woman immigrant designer who went from selling her designs at a flea market in Brooklyn to winning the @cfda.

3. Nikkie de Jager, better known by her YouTube channel name Nikkie Tutorials, who is a trans Dutch makeup artist and beauty vlogger. Nikkie’s outfit paid homage to Marsha P. Johnson. On Instagram, she wrote "I knew I wanted to pay homage to a trans icon who was at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots… [She] paved the way for so many of us, and I hope I made my community proud tonight."
On the dress was embroidered Marsha's famous words, "Pay It No Mind", a saying she would utter when people would ask her what her middle initial "P" stood for. It was intended to be a rhetorical answer to the question many had on their minds as to whether she was male or female. By putting “pay it no mind” in her name it deterred the public from asking the question she hated to receive.

4. Naomi Osaka's outfit was inspired by her heritage. The Louis Vuitton dress she wore was co-designed by her sister Mari Osaka.Talking about this year's theme, the tennis champ and mental health advocate said: "For me, Americana kinda means a mix of all cultures and this dress and this look kind of represents my two backgrounds, Haitian and Japanese, so I was really glad I was able to incorporate it," she told Vogue.

Which were your fave looks from this year's Met Gala?

#metgala #amandagorman #AOC #americana #naomiosaka #trans #diversity #blackwomen #womenofcolor #culture #fashion #history #style #instagood #best #american

With the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Texas SB8 law to go into effect, essentially overturning a decades-old precedent in Roe v Wade that ensured safe access to abortion care nationally, it appears we are going backward.
For women like author Evelyn La Torre, who shared a timely guest post on the blog today, it is a reminder that equal rights can never be taken for granted.

Evelyn came of age in the 1960's, when the second wave feminist movement was just getting started. As she began her career, she witnessed numerous sexist incidents.

"In 1966, the year I married at age 23, a major company turned down my application for their credit card. They required my new husband’s permission to issue me a card. I was three months pregnant in 1966 when I applied for a county hospital clerk position. The hospital would have legally denied me the job if not for the sympathetic intern physician who gave me a “pass” on the pre-employment medical exam. There were other restrictions for females that didn’t affect me directly. Women couldn’t serve in the military. We weren’t accepted to Ivy League colleges until the 70s. Spousal rape was only criminalized in 1993. The FDA first approved the birth control pill for “severe menstrual distress” in the 1960s. It wasn’t until several years later that birth control was approved for all women. Sexism in health insurance was outlawed in 2010."

Her new book "Love in Any Language, A Memoir of a Cross-cultural Marriage" chronicles how her roles as a wife, mother, and educator evolved between the 1960s and 1990s—from the free speech movement to women’s liberation. Having witnessed these moments, she issues a warning to all of us:

"The Texas law, an example of recent efforts to erode a woman’s right to choose, should be a call to action for the next generation. We need to remember how these entitlements took decades to obtain yet are still tenuous. We must not become complacent lest these hard-won rights be stripped away."

To read Evelyn's full guest post, check out the link in our bio. 💪🏾🛑

#womensrights #equalrights #equality #sexism #birthcontrol #discrimination #abortion #roevwade #feminism #freespeech #righttochoose

The global pandemic has impacted all of us in more ways than one. In the workplace, it is disheartening to see how COVID has exacerbated disparities that already existed, especially for women and working mothers.
Today on the blog, writer and women's rights advocate Hasna Haider shares some data out of the UK showing how women's health has been adversely affected in the workplace throughout this period. "Recent reports noted that women put in more unpaid hours in housework and childcare during lockdown, more women were furloughed than men, and that the gender pay gap had increased. So, it’s probably not surprising to find out that women also face higher levels of stress in the workplace, and are more likely to report illness at work," she writes.

🔻According to a Labour Force Survey in the UK, women are more likely to report being stressed, anxious or depressed than men. 17% of women aged 25-34 – versus 11% of men the same age – reported feeling this way due to work.
🔻The survey also found that women are more likely to report illness caused or made worse by work. 56% of reports of illness came from women, with 9,050 women reporting workplace illness compared to just 7,220 of men.
🔻In Britain, the number of workdays lost to illness or injury has increased 14% for women over the past decade. Fewer women at work means fewer opportunities for the women who remain in the workplace, with lack of gender diversity only serving to give the impression that women don’t belong in certain positions in the working world.

So how do we as a society tackle these issues?

🔹Hasna writes that it starts with strong policies that address and acknowledge these problems, and work environments that offer more flexible support.
🔹Ensuring women are involved in decision making conversation regarding company policy, from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.
🔹And fostering an inclusive culture where everyone is welcomed and accepted.

To read more, head to the link in our bio! 📝

#workplace #stress #anxiety #depression #women #UK #covid19 #pandemic #support #inclusion #careers #genderequality #diversity #instagood #friday #best #WFH #workingwomen