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Poly'Girls, Enugu (2025)

03/01/2023

Hi there,
beautiful lady☺️

Turns out you're not the only one caught in the "New Year, New Me" wave.

Poly'Girls is too!

We want to do better this year in educating women about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. So, dear friend😇 [mother, sister], we'd love to know how much you know about the reproductive health system.

This is why we've put this survey together. Here's the form:

Poly'Girls Survey Form: http://bit.ly/3QaSi4H

It's a simple survey and will take about 2-3mins. Thank you so much for your time.❤️

12/12/2022

UNDERSTANDING POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME.

In our previous post where we considered the underlying causes of irregular periods, we mentioned PCOS. Here in this post, we'd like to fully introduce PCOS to you, esteemed readers.🥳🥳🥳🥳 It's been a long time in coming.

So, what is PCOS?
This is a reproductive and endocrine condition that affects women of reproductive age.

Reproductive because it affects the reproductive system particularly the ovaries.

Endocrine because certain hormones of the body are involved. Hormones like oestrogen, progesterone and insulin.

This condition has been so named because of its major clinical manifestation—presence of multiple cysts in the ovaries.

What are cysts?
They are small fluid-filled sacs formed from ovarian follicles that do not reach maturity. In PCOS, about 10-14 cysts can be identified during a pelvic examination.

Add one and two together and you'll realize that PCOS- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a condition usually marked by too many cysts in a woman's o***y- which undoubtedly is a huge health convergence concern.

Tidbits about PCOS

Did you know that PCOS:

1. affects an average of one-in-ten women globally?😶

2. is one of the leading causes of infertility in women?😫

3. has no specific cause hence it remains a “syndrome” instead of a disease?😬

4. you are more likely to have this condition if there is a mother or sister who has it too.

Come on, tell us in the comment session if you had any previous knowledge of this condition. When was the first time you learnt what Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome was about?

Millennium Campus Network (MCN)

02/11/2022

..... continuing with Bibi's story.

So Bibi found that her cycle is 28 days, and she's been making use of period trackers just like we mentioned in a previous post, but after a while, she begins to notice that the days between her periods keep getting longer.

At first, she thought it was her hormones and stress playing tricks on her but it's getting worse with each month that passes. Now, she's worried and she has decided to take a trip to the hospital.

Do you think the doctor is going to find out anything? What scenario is running through your mind right now? Maybe she's caught some infection, or something serious is happening to her reproductive organs.

Well, what Bibi is experiencing is what we call irregular periods. You may also have had something similar happen to you, and you may not have noticed. That's why we at Poly'Girls also preach the gospel of period awareness.

When do we say your periods are irregular?
Like in Bibi's case, your periods are said to be irregular when the number of days between each one keeps changing. It could be in the form of missed periods over several months, delayed periods, or even abnormal bleeding patterns.

We know you may panic when you start noticing erratic patterns in your cycle, but sometimes there may be absolutely nothing to worry about. But to be safer than sorry, we advise that you go see your doctor ASAP.

I think my periods are irregular; what could be the cause(s)?
A number of things could cause your periods to be irregular. It could be due to stress, either physical or psychological, lifestyle patterns like smoking, a family history of irregular periods, menopause or menarche (which usually happens within the first two years of the onset of periods), or medications you've been placed on, like contraceptive pills.

Your period could also stop when you're pregnant. Taking a pregnancy test will rule it out. underlying conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), infections, anorexia, and thyroid problems.

Does an irregular period mean you aren't going to get pregnant?
No! Irregular periods don't mean infertility. Many women with irregular cycles get pregnant and even have normal pregnancies. The only thing is that getting pregnant becomes a little difficult.

The conclusion of the matter? Only those who are period aware know when their periods are irregular. Have you learned to calculate your menstrual cycle yet? Learn from Bibi and get a period tracker to help you.

Irregular periods may be nothing to worry about, but they can be harbingers of doom, so make sure you see your doctor when you notice something amiss.

19/10/2022

Hey! 🙋

Poly'Girls is back with the period drills.

Last time, you learnt the sequence of events that occur within the female body to prepare it for the possibility of pregnancy each month. You also learnt the 4 stages of the menstrual cycle, what happens in them and how long each lasts.

Great theory- but now's time for some personal practice! This practice is important because some girls/women do NOT know their own cycle.

Asides from the inconveniences of scurrying around for a menstrual pad when you feel a wetness, certain health conditions demand that you're conscious of your periods. POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) is one of such and the catch is that you can't tell if your periods are IRREGULAR if you do NOT know you're menstrual cycle.

So...
A menstrual cycle begins on the first day of a period. The average cycle is 28 days long; meaning that a cycle can range in length from 21 days to about 35 days.

21-35 days.

Let's say Bibi got her period on 2nd and the next one came on 31st. The next period will NOT necessarily start on the 2nd🌠 of the next month, as some people think. It'll come 29 days after 31st. She can record the times she gets her period for three months and take an average. C'est finis!

You should do the same. The good thing, however, is that you don't even have to calculate anything manually. You can download a period tracker app and it does the job. Simply input the neccesary details and the apps give you insight into your menstrual cycles! Great isn't it?

There are a lot of period trackers apps like Clue Period Tracker Petal - Period Tracker Flo Period Tracker App. Do your due diligence and find an app that suits you. ✨ We're will no more allow you to leave your menstrual cycle to mere chance.

Get on with it, girl! 😌❤️
We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. Has calculating your periods always been so confusing? Used any tracker app yet? What's your experience. We'd love to hear!
____________

United Nations Academic Impact
UNICEF Nigeria World Health Organization (WHO) Millennium Campus Network

11/10/2022

Dear girl,

Today is not just the 11th day of October. Some ten years ago, the United Nations attached a significance to the date. It stopped being just the 11th.

It became International Day for the Girl Child. It's a day set aside to celebrate you and bring to light the inequities you face.

The theme chosen by UNICEF for this year's celebration is 'Our Time Is Now — Our Rights, Our Future.'

What an appropriate theme! There's no waiting and hoping for a future where the girl child is educated, safe and employed- the time is NOW.

NOW decides the future- and we, at Poly'Girls will relentlessly keep educating the girl child. We will tell you as much as we can about an integral part of you- your body!

So, yeah- girl! Happy International Day of the Girl Child to you. This is a reminder that you're important and shouldn't be treated as less.

YOU'RE NOT LESS. You're an individual in your own right and you can take charge. You can transcend the hurtful stereotypes, the barriers, the limiting beliefs.

You can have a bright future!Acknowledge that; believe that; work toward that - and see how much you can change the world around you.

And to women, once girls, keep the young heart aglow. ❤️ We love you!

Yours Sisterly,
Poly'Girls.

08/10/2022

Good day, everyone!
Ready for some lessons? 😊
Today, we'll be giving insights into one of the fundamental aspects of womanhood. Stay tuned! ⚡

THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND PERIODS

While it is very important to be aware of one's reproductive health, this awareness cannot come if there is no real knowledge of how the female reproductive system works.

We at Poly'Girls will fight ignorance regarding PCOS, but what good will it serve if you, my reader, don't comprehend the complexities of the female reproductive system? the way it operates, the underlying elements that contribute to the development of this health issue, and much more.

To understand PCOS, you must first understand the process that brings about the onset of periods—the organs and hormones involved.

THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

This describes a series of hormone-driven events that happen within a woman's body in preparation for the possibility of pregnancy.

For every young girl and woman within the reproductive age bracket (13-49), this cycle plays the sole role of ensuring that reproduction is possible.

As long as you've reached puberty and are still a young woman, meaning you haven't reached menopause, it happens every month (barring exceptional circumstances). It brings about a lot of changes, some of which are visible physically and others which are not.

Every menstrual cycle, hormones–Oestrogen, Progesterone, Luteinizing and Follicle Stimulating Hormones–influence the ovaries to release eggs in a process known as ovulation, cause the lining of the uterus to thicken, and if conception fails, also affect the shedding of the uterine lining, a period we refer to as menstruation.

There are four phases to the menstrual cycle, and these hormones affect each one differently.

The menstrual phase
The follicular phase
The ovulation phase
The luteal phase

THE MENSTRUAL PHASE

Lasts between 3-7 days.
This is the phase where you begin to see your periods. A decrease in progesterone and oestrogen levels is usually to blame. Periods can last between 3-5 days even up to 7 days, depending on the woman.

THE FOLLICULAR PHASE

Here, the ovaries are stimulated to produce follicles by the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Immature eggs are typically found in these follicles, and as they mature, oestrogen levels rise again.

Only the healthiest egg reaches maturity, while others are absorbed. This lasts for about 14–16 days, starting from the very first day of your period.

THE OVULATION PHASE

Ovulation is simply the release of the mature egg from the ovaries into the fallopian tubes. The rising oestrogen level caused by mature follicles causes the luteinizing hormone to spike, allowing for ovulation.

This is the only phase where pregnancy can occur. This lasts for 24 hours and occurs on Day 14 if you have a 28-day cycle.

THE LUTEAL PHASE

Once follicles release eggs, they become corpus luteum, releasing mostly progesterone. If you get pregnant, another hormone is produced to keep the lining of the uterus stable.

If pregnancy doesn't occur, the corpus luteum shrinks and causes a fall in oestrogen and progesterone levels, which results in the early onset of the period; it lasts about 11–17 days.

How much of this were you aware of? Have you understood how you get your periods and what the menstrual cycle looks like? Let us know in the comment section. 😊❤️

02/10/2022

This is an unveiling.
“Of what?”-you wonder.

MEETING POLY’GIRLS

Sometime in the January of this year, two young Nigerian women experienced a light bulb moment as they sat studying with friends in a sparsely lit classroom. Poly’Girls is ultimately a tribute to that night in January.

WHAT IT IS:

Poly’Girls is an initiative founded to address the issue of ignorance about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a serious reproductive health challenge that affects up to 10% of the female population worldwide.

The statistic is unsettling but more than that, it is worrisome that many of these women only find out about their condition within the walls of a fertility clinic- after many frustrating attempts at childbirth.

Many others, still, never find out and live their lives battling the unpleasant symptoms of PCOS. This does not come as a shock because awareness about this condition is almost negligible- particularly in underdeveloped countries.

Come to think of it: could you have easily connected the ‘Poly’ in Poly’Girls with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome? Or is this, perhaps, your first contact with the term? If that is the case, you might've got your own light bulb moment- by suddenly realizing either or both you and someone you know might have this condition.

What a worrisome possibility that is; it gets even more nerve-wracking when you scroll through the internet and see that PCOS has no cure. You see that it is the commonest cause of infertility in females and is majorly marked by irregular periods.

Your heart might skip a beat there, but what if we also told you Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is not a death sentence? What if we told you that one just needs the right care, and right information?

Well, the RIGHT INFORMATION is why Poly’Girls is here. Inspired by different circumstances, Millennium Fellows Ubani Nmesoma and Precious Sylvanus are launching this project to improve health outcomes in their local community through intense public education.

Since the inception of the idea at an all-night board members meeting of Biomedical Students Mentorship and Research Society , the desire to educate people about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome has stayed aglow in the hearts of both women.

Getting accepted into the 2022 Class of Millennium Campus Network Fellowship had, however, provided a solid platform for implementation.

For greater impact, both Fellows merged their individual Millennium Fellowship projects (Poly'Hood and GirlsAid Initiative) to birth Poly'Girls. They envision that the initiative will incorporate both an online and offline approach; and most importantly, last beyond the MCN semester year.

More introductions will be made in subsequent posts but for now, look out for this page! Stay connected for insightful discussions about the female reproductive system and public health in general.

Cheers!
__________________

Poly'Girls

03/01/2023

12/12/2022

02/11/2022

19/10/2022

11/10/2022

08/10/2022

02/10/2022

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