PCOS Impacts Over 5 Million People In The United States Alone. This Woman Is Helping To Educate People On What It's Like To Live With It.
Meet Torri! Torri is 33 years old and originally from Panama City Beach, Florida, but she’s currently traveling all over the US as the partner of a traveling nurse.
And recently, Torri went mega-viral on TikTok for sharing her experience with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a hormonal disorder that is often referred to as PCOS.
@torrisunshine Session 14 of Zapping my face with the Smooth Skin Pure #athomeipl #pcos #pcosawareness #pcosproblems #pcosfacialhair #pcoshairyface #pcoshairremoval #pcosfacialhair #athomeiplhairremoval
♬ original sound - Torri Sunshine
In the video — which has since been viewed over 20 million times and has over 5,000 comments — Torri can be seen discussing some of the side effects she has experienced while living with PCOS. Specifically, Torri can be seen pointing out hair on her chin before proceeding to pull out an IPL (intense pulsed light) hair removal device. She then proceeds to take viewers on a journey with her as she uses the device to pulsate and zap the hair on her chin in an attempt to remove the hair.
In the video, Torri can be heard explaining what's about to happen. "I gotta hop in the shower and then I'm gonna zap my face. This is like three days [of growth]. Look at that big space though, that's very promising. We'll see."
When it comes to PCOS, Torri is far from alone. In fact, according to a study from 2020 published in the National Institutes of Health, as many as between 4–20% of people with ovaries live with this condition, while the US Department for Health and Human Services states that 1 in 10 women in the United States currently live with PCOS. To break that down even further, that's at least 5 million people of reproductive age in the United States alone.
However, like many conditions that primarily impact women, it's worth noting that the actual number of people living with PCOS may be higher due to misdiagnoses and/or healthcare professionals missing the condition completely.
BuzzFeed caught up with Torri, who shared that she began posting videos about her experience with PCOS last summer and has been inspired by other people who share similar experiences with PCOS to continue sharing her journey. She told BuzzFeed, "It all started when I was posting a 'get ready with me' video and I had a little bit of stubble which I didn't think anything of at the time, but I guess the stubble was more noticeable in that particular video. The video got 100k views and HUNDREDS of comments talking about my facial hair, and other girls who were struggling with PCOS and female facial hair."
On her greatest motivation to share things that may have once felt off limits, she told BuzzFeed, "My biggest thing is to show women that they are NOT defined by this, this does not have to rule your life, and it does not have to hold you back from living the most beautiful, biggest life of your dreams! Since the symptoms of PCOS are surrounded by things that we are taught [are] 'shameful' as women, it is not understood or talked about and that's so unfortunate because so many women struggle alone." She continued, "I get messages from women who say they've been married for 20 years and they run to the bathroom to shave every morning before their husbands wake up because they are fearful of anyone knowing, and hearing those stories break my heart because I have been there too. PCOS needs to be talked about, we need more representation and more normalization of these struggles."
Torri continued, telling BuzzFeed, "There was a time when mentally and physically, I let my PCOS symptoms consume me. I'm way past that now, but to see the response of women struggling everywhere broke my heart and took me back to a time when I was 15 and I felt so defeated and devastated by my facial hair, I knew I had to talk about this and be transparent for them and for my 15-year-old self!"
You do not have to look far to see the impact that Torri's videos have had on other people, both those who also live with PCOS and those who do not.
To get more information on PCOS, we reached out to Dr. Marieme Mbaye (MD, FACOG), who has been a practicing OB-GYN for several years now.
"Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a lifelong, hormonal condition that we now know is probably under-diagnosed," Dr. Mbaye shared with BuzzFeed. "It's one of the most common causes of infertility, but because it's a syndrome (meaning it’s actually a group of symptoms), it affects much more than just fertility and continues well past the younger years."
While this is obviously alarming for those who may live with this condition, Dr. Mbaye wants to emphasize that PCOS can be manageable through an individualized and balanced treatment plan involving lifestyle choices, medications, or both.
When it comes to who is most impacted by PCOS, Dr. Mbaye shared that it's most commonly diagnosed in people between 20–40 years old because some of the most obvious signs of it are irregular periods and infertility.
Dr. Mbaye also shared some more common symptoms to be on the lookout for. "The most common symptoms of PCOS are irregular or skipped periods, hirsutism (excess growth of dark/coarse hair in a male pattern, usually on the chin and face), male pattern baldness, difficulty getting pregnant, and polycystic ovaries (seen on ultrasounds)."
She continued, "A common misconception about PCOS is that everyone who has it must be hairy, overweight, have acne, irregular periods, infertility, and polycystic ovaries. In reality, PCOS can be hard to diagnose (and treat) because it looks so different from person to person and because symptoms can change as people get older. Some people will have no symptoms at all while others can have any combination of symptoms."
When asked what the general public could understand more about this condition, Dr. Mbaye shared, "Many people don't realize that people with PCOS also have a higher risk of psychological concerns like depression, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders as well as metabolic concerns like unwanted weight changes, abnormal cholesterol levels, insulin resistance, and diabetes. All of these things can be very difficult to control, even with the help of a provider."
Dr. Mbaye also emphasized that being able to work alongside your healthcare professionals is key. "People with PCOS really have to work together with their providers to optimize their health and focus on a comprehensive approach. If having kids is something you want to do, ask about your reproductive health and fertility early on. If you've struggled with mental health, be proactive in identifying stressors and finding the help that you need — whether that's a therapist, planned self-care, or leaning on friends and family. Prioritize lifestyle changes that benefit your body's total health so that you can avoid potential complications like diabetes and high cholesterol down the road."
And Dr. Mbaye wants readers to remember that while weight can be a common concern for PCOS patients, it should not be the only focus. "Weight is a very common concern with a lot of PCOS patients, which makes sense given how much emphasis society puts on people being a certain weight or BMI. Weight can certainly make a big difference for many people with PCOS, but there are so many other factors at play here that only focusing on weight can become detrimental, especially when it begins to wear on a person's mental health."
She continued, telling BuzzFeed, "Remember, a normal weight does not always mean healthy and a larger body does not automatically mean unhealthy."
As for Torri, she is overwhelmed from the positive responses she has received after sharing her journey with PCOS. She told BuzzFeed, "Even though this is so common for women, it's not something that is openly talked about, so to actually see millions of women come forward, it brought me to tears at times. And as much as it helped them feel less alone, it also helped me, it was healing."
And Torri wants everyone to remember: "If you struggle with PCOS, you are not alone [and] we are in this together! You are amazing, beautiful, and enough right now exactly as you are to live your best, most beautiful life. You are so loved, and I love you."
To keep up with Torri and her journey with PCOS, you can follow her on TikTok or Instagram and check out her podcast, Sunny Lemons!
And a special thank you to Dr. Marieme Mbaye for helping us all learn more about PCOS!