PCOS: Grimsby woman shaves moustache after fundraiser

Ms Stevenson raised hundreds of pounds for charity by growing a moustache and shaving it off in public

A woman with a hormonal condition which creates excess hair has shaved off the moustache which she grew in November to raise awareness of the disorder.

Jennie Stevenson, from Grimsby, has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Ms Stevenson said she hoped growing the moustache for "Movember" would help others talk about the syndrome.

After shaving it off in public on Sunday, she said: "I want other people suffering with this kind of thing to feel less ashamed."

Excess hair growth, such as that experienced by Ms Stevenson, is a symptom of PCOS

Ms Stevenson was told she had the condition in June 2021 after a 20-year search for a diagnosis.

Other symptoms of the condition can include irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant.

At the public event in which she shaved off her facial hair, she raised around £875 for charity.

Jennie Stevenson took part in the challenge to raise awareness of the syndrome

Ms Stevenson said it felt "great" to get rid of it: "It's been really annoying me, so it's really good to not feel it there anymore.

"One of the things that always made me really self-conscious was the fact that I would get a lot of facial hair. I used to have some really bad sideburns.

"I have been trying to raise awareness to try to make it more normal for people going through a similar thing."

The annual Movember campaign was started in Australia and encouraged men to grow a moustache during November to raise money for charity.

What is PCOS?

Symptoms include:

• irregular periods or no periods, which means ovaries don't regularly release eggs

• difficulty getting pregnant

• excessive hair growth caused by excess testosterone

• weight gain

• oily skin and acne

More than half of the women affected don't have any symptoms.

Source: NHS