100 Chronic Illness Advocates – The Power List

In light of recent events and in response to existing in a majority-led space, Cysters ...
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/ / diversity, diversityandinclusion, News & Media, people of colour, poc, visibility

The Future Doesn’t Look so Bright – 16 White People Is Not a Celebration of Diversity

The Future Doesn’t Look so Bright - 16 White People Is Not a Celebration of ...
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/ / action matters, diversity, diversity and inclusion, gaslighting, humanise me, humanise us, News & Media, poc, representation matters, saviourism, tokenism, tokenistic, white privilege, woc

Periods during the Pandemic

OVER ONE MILLION GIRLS IN THE UK STRUGGLED TO AFFORD OR ACCESS PERIOD PRODUCTS DURING ...
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/ / News & Media, period, periodpoverty, periods, periods in a pandemic, plasticfreeperiod, women periods

I’m Not Listening – Things to Remember When You’re Being Racially Gaslighted (Thank You, UK Government)

By Nikita Aashi Chadha I can’t say that the report on racial disparity in the ...
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/ / gaslighting, lived experience, News & Media, oppression, people of colour, racial gaslighting, self care, UK Government, women of colour

From Meghan Markle to endometriosis… We don’t believe women.

March 19, 2021 Dr. Annalise Weckesser, Senior Research Fellow, HELS March is endometriosis (endo) awareness ...
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/ / News & Media

UK’s ‘silent’ PCOS sufferers: 49% first uncover diagnosis when trying to conceive

A recent study reveals that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - one of the most common ...
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/ / fertility, journey, News & Media, pcos, pcos awareness
Image contains the title - Is this a safe space? If I'm the only person that looks like me in that space, then no - it's not. Also contains the authors name Nikita Aashi Chadha

Is this a safe space?

I’ve been in a lot of places where my presence surprises people. Governmental think tank ...
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/ / cbt, creating space, diversity, diversityandinclusion, healthcare, identity, inclusion, inclusive healthcare, inclusivehealthcare, intersectionality, medical gaslighting, mental health intervention, News & Media, people of colour, race, representation matters, safe space, space, therapy, women of colour

The Double-Edged Sword of Pain VS Pleasure

The Double-Edged Sword of Pain VS Pleasure What Having Sex is Like with Endometriosis and ...
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/ / adenomyosis, advice, chronic illness, chronic pain, endometriosis, News & Media, pain during sex, painful sex

There Is Nothing Superficial About Endometriosis

There Is Nothing Superficial About Endometriosis Nikita Aashi Chadha I have stage one Endometriosis. When ...
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/ / adenomyosis, advocacy, endometriosis, medical gaslighting, News & Media, share your story, stage one endometriosis, superficial endometriosis

“Menopause matters, not just on World Menopause Day, but every day!”

Supporting Women’s Health and Wellbeing at Work will Help Everyone to (See Her) Thrive Last ...
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/ / News & Media

We need you! Become a Trustee and shape Cysters.

Cysters is a small but growing voluntary organisation, with highly ambitious plans for future expansion ...
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/ / growth charity, News & Media, representation, trustees

Being a Black Woman Experiencing Surgical Menopause

By: Amelia I. Benson I’m sure you know the phrase ‘Representation Matters’, this term has ...
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/ / News & Media, representation matters black women menopause people of colour women of colour

Be Womb Cancer Aware.

Written by Kaz Molloy On 23rd Dec 2009 I was diagnosed with womb cancer. The ...
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/ / awareness, cancer, endometrosis, News & Media, pcos, peopleofcolour, support, womb, womb cancer

I had labiaplasty at 22 – This is what I want you to know.

What is labiaplasty?.. Perhaps you’ve heard of it by its more common name of the ...
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/ / knowyourvulva, labia, labiaplasty, News & Media, sex, taboo, teenage, vulva

Why I started vlogging my illness…

I have been writing here on Cysters for over three years now... and how time ...
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/ / pcos, Uncategorized, vlogs, weightloss, Youtube

Self love in isolation

So, Everyone has become a baker during this lockdown, and whilst we LOVE a good ...
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/ / endometrosis, fibroids, have a ricky, News & Media, pcos, representation, sex, sex positive, sex sextoys, sex toys

Stop Gaslighting Women of Colour and the Organisations that Support Us

Stop Gaslighting Women of Colour and the Organisations that Support Us If we have told ...
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/ / allyship, diversity, gaslighting, inclusivity, marginalised communities, News & Media, support us, woc, women of colour

Navigating Ramadan with a Chronic Illness

Assalamo-alaikum and hi to you all My name is Diyanah knows as Dee to a ...
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/ / chronic illness, chronic pain, chronicillness, desi women, eid, endometrosis, islam, News & Media, pcos, pcosproblems, ramadan, religion, south asian

PCOS-er And Proud!

By Ritu Bhathal Remember the time you huddled together with your friends, proudly exclaiming you’d ...
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/ / culture, desi women, indian, kenyan, News & Media, pcos, pcos southasian, pcosproblems, reproductive, south asian

MENstruation

By Manpreet “Singh is Queer” Virk Society is broken up into binary options like male ...
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/ / gender, inclusivity, men, men bleed too, menstrual health, News & Media, non binary, non binaryt, sex

Not everyone is stock piling!

Not everyone is stock piling! As a sufferer of Endometriosis and PCOS, I am sick ...
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/ / chronic pain, chronicillness, covid-19, HEAVY BLEEDING, News & Media, period, periods, stockpiling

Surviving Mothers Day

For some of us, Mother’s Day is hard. For me there is constant reminder of ...
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/ / baby loss, mothers day, pcos, pcos southasian, pcosproblems, southasian, trigger, Uncategorized

What the COVID19 pandemic means for Period Poverty…

Period Poverty is a long-standing problem in the UK. It's been a cause for work/school ...
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/ / coronavirus, covid19, menstration, News & Media, period poverty, sanitary products

Put yourself first…

Hello everyone - first off, it's great to be back writing for you all again ...
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/ / chronic illness, mental health, News & Media, pcos, physical health, self care

Most Likely to Be Diagnosed, and Most Likely to Be Left out the Spotlight

Most Likely to Be Diagnosed & Most Likely to Be Left out the Spotlight Hiding ...
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/ / diagnosis, endo what, endometrosis, gender bias, News & Media, peopleofcolour, women of colour

Millennial Women: Transitioning into high gear

By Sneha Battin In a life filled with meaningfulness and accomplishments, there have been some ...
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/ / ceo, News & Media, opportunities, women, women in business

This Is A Man’s World

It’s been just over a hundred years since women gained the right to vote and ...
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/ / assumption, biology, charity, chronic pain, female, gender bias, man, misogyny, News & Media, sex, women of colour

Recommended Reads for 2020 – Books That Will Challenge How You See The World

Recommended Reads for 2020 - Books That Will Challenge How You See The World Nikita ...
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/ / 2020reads, bame, bias, book, books, culture, News & Media, peopleofcolour, race, read, reading

#KnowYourVulva

Clare Baumhauer "There was no awareness campaign for Lichen Sclerosus or Vulval cancer so we ...
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/ / awareness, campaign, knowyourvulva, lichensclerosus, ls, News & Media, problemperiods, vulva, vulvacancer, women periods, womens health

Major research project aims to improve treatment for those with polycystic ovary syndrome

A major £2.4 million research project is underway at the University of Birmingham aimed at ...
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/ / fertility, infertlity, News & Media, pcos, pcos southasian, pcosproblems, research

What is endometriosis?

By Odelia Thomas (Instagram @she.is.lotus) After sharing my journey with endometriosis, I have had questions ...
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/ / endo, endometrosis, News & Media, period, women periods, womenofcolour, womens health

PAINFUL HYSTEROSCOPY?

CYSTERS - if you’ve had a painful hysteroscopy – recently or in the past - ...
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/ / chronic illness, chronic pain, health, hysteroscopy, News & Media, pain, reproductive health

White Saviourism – Why would I ask you to save me, when you can’t even save yourselves?

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the term white saviourism, but not all of you ...
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/ / ethnic minority, health, help, menstrual health, News & Media, partnership, third world countries, white saviourism, womens health

10 things I wish I could tell work about my chronic illness…

Talking about being chronically ill can be extremely difficult because even though you are ill, ...
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/ / chronic illness, chronic pain, hospital, mental health, News & Media, periods, womens health, work

PCOS doesn’t hurt…

**Disclaimer: This post is intended as sarcasm and in no way is intentionally bringing down ...
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/ / News & Media

“Will I survive or do I have just a few days to live?”

Dafina Malovska’s Story Everyone has a story, and this is mine. My name is Dafina ...
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/ / cancer, gynaecologist, letstalk, News & Media, period, periods, reproductive health

Endo – what?!

From the time I started having my periods at age 11, I do not remember ...
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/ / confidence, contraceptive injection, endo, endo what, endometriosis, endometrosis, health, medical, mental health, News & Media, sisterhood, women, womenhood, womens health

The Love Your Period Campaign: Behind the Scenes

The Love Your Period Campaign: Behind the Scenes The ‘Love Your Period’ Campaign was set ...
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/ / banplastic, campaign, cysters, loveyourperiod, News & Media, period, periodpoverty, periods, plastic, plasticfreeperiod, women periods

PCOS: Only a Reproductive Disorder?

Elizabeth Schneider, MS If you’re like me and ever curious about your body and its ...
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/ / binge, food, insulin resistance, News & Media, pcos, pcosproblems, period, periods, plasticfreeperiod, pregnancy, reproductive health, womanhood, womb, women periods, womens health

Period Shaming

By Sheila Harrington Jane Garvey, one of Women’s Hour’s presenters, recently sent a pre-show tweet ...
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/ / health, menstrual, mental health, News & Media, period, periodpoverty, periods, women periods, womenhood, womens health

Embracing your health with pelvic floor exercises

Written by Sneha Battin The secret to a better you, comes with understanding your own ...
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/ / News & Media, pelvic, pelvicfloor, period, pregnancy, womanhood, womb, women, women periods, womens health

Go Red!

IT’S HERE! September is Gynae Cancer Awareness Month, and for the second year running the ...
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/ / cancer, gored, gynaecologist, News & Media, taboo, womanhood, womb

Male Mental Illness & Fights Against Patriarchies

Male Mental Illness & Fights Against Patriarchies* Shuranjeet Singh *This article acknowledges the breadth of ...
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/ / male, mental health, News & Media, social media

Let’s talk about sexual consent…

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, women and men are more willing to break ...
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/ / consent, marriage, News & Media, rape, sex, sexual health, violence, women periods, womens health

Youth Activism – Making a difference

Cysters are really lucky to have some amazing youth activists, breaking barriers around reproductive and ...
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/ / News & Media

Reproducing weight stigma at the Gynaecologist’s office.

Weight Stigma is defined as bias of discrimination towards individuals who are perceived by others ...
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/ / cancer, clots, endometrosis, fibroids, gynaecologist, News & Media, pco, pcos, period, periodpoverty, stigma, weight

This is what I NEED you to know about my PMDD…

To all my friends, family, or even the ones who aren't in my life just ...
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/ / News & Media

Stop making your equals pay for a seat at the table!

So, recently there was a post here on our Cysters platform that highlighted concerns around ...
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/ / health, News & Media, nhs, racism, reproductive health, social media, womens health

Cervical Cancer Screening & HPV Vaccine Update

Somewhere in the world, a woman dies every 2 minutes from a totally preventable illness ...
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/ / bame, cancer, cervical, cervicalcancer, News & Media, women periods, womens health

Redefining Strength

What does it mean to be strong in a world where it is defined by ...
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/ / News & Media, privilege, stoicism, strength, womanhood, women periods, womens health

Use it or Lose it – White Privilege and the Danger of a Single Story

For anyone who doesn’t know me, my name is Nikita Aashi Chadha and I’m 27 years old ...
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/ / desi, endometrosis, health, mental health, News & Media, pcos, poc, privilege, reproductive health, south, southasian

Is my vagina normal?

Is my vagina normal? In short yes. But we are angry. Angry at the rise ...
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/ / body, confidence, cysters, News & Media, period, periodpoverty, periods, sisterhood, support, vulva, womenhood

They’re hormones, not whore-moans!

I have had it with the idea that women don't have as much of a ...
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/ / desire, hormones, News & Media, pain, sex, slut shame

Fight Patriarchy with us!

We need you. We have a platform for you to share your stories, your thoughts ...
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/ / News & Media

“I will always be that chubby girl in a crop top…” – Insulin Resistance & Body Positivity

I am all for body positivity and loving the skin that you’re in and yet ...
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/ / News & Media

Soul Cysters – A Spotlight on PMDD

The Soul Cysters Series, is a collection of different narratives around reproductive health and wellbeing ...
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/ / News & Media

Sandwell and West Birmingham Healthcare Trust partners with Cysters

Cysters have formed a partnership with Sandwell and West Birmingham Healthcare Trust to tackle issues ...
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/ / birmingham, charity, dudly, grassroots, News & Media, nhs, partnership, period, periodpoverty, periods, sandwell, suppot, women periods, womens health

Founder of Cysters defies trolling and gets Special Recognition at Pride of Birmingham Awards

What. A. Night. And not one we thought we would ever be writing about. After ...
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/ / awardwinner, board, cysters, cysterssmears, leadership, News & Media, periods, prideofbirmingham, prideofbritian, reproductive health, smeartest, womens health, youth

Beyond the Invisible

We were really pleased to be invited to the launch of the Beyond the Invisible ...
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/ / News & Media

The importance of a strong support system when living with a chronic illness

Life can be hard at the best of times, for everyone, but when you're living ...
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/ / News & Media