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 ...
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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

Thank you THSH Birmingham!

International Women's Day usually means events across all sectors promoting how AWESOME women are.. and ...
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/ / endo, News & Media, period, periodpoverty, reproductive health, women, women periods, womens heath

The “Hidden” costs of Endometriosis

Whas is endometriosis anyway? Quite simply put it's where the tissue that is similar to ...
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/ / endo, endometrosis, money, News & Media, poverty

Virginity – A Social Constraint?

I’ve always believed that the concept of virginity was a social constraint. Actually, that’s a ...
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/ / health, News & Media, sisterhod, testing, virginity, womanhood, women, womens health

How on earth does Period Shame still exist?

Period shame. Never mind how does it still exist... how did it ever become a ...
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/ / News & Media

Is period poverty, a thing? What Can I do to help?

Cysters is a charity based on the concept of Cysterhood (pronounced Sisterhood) – and with ...
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/ / blood, charity, News & Media, perid, reproductive health, women periods

#12DaysofCysters – The Acne and Hair Struggle

OH YEAH… How attractive?! Well… other people will just have to deal with it. The ...
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/ / News & Media

Yes you can be Hairy and Body Positive!

YOU HEARD US RIGHT. JanuHairy is the new January. What a way to kick off ...
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/ / body hair, female, hair, News & Media, pcos, women, womens health

#12DaysofCysters – GI needs to be labelled

IF YOU CAN PUT VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN ON LABELS YOU CAN SLAP THE GI NUMBER ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – My First Induced Period

I KNOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE LIKE “EWWW” BUT PCOS NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – Before I found Cysters…

Before I found Cysters I was part of many other online support groups after my ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – My 3 types of ‘Baby Envy’

As a woman struggling with infertility, baby envy is one of my biggest flaws. Being ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – Fitness advice that considers your hormones

I have been diagnosed with PCOS for almost three years and I am still battling ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – Trying to stay positve

I always moan about the dark side of having an illness that makes you have ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – Belittling another cyster’s fight won’t help you win yours

Ever since I was diagnosed with PCOS, I have noticed a divide in the cysterhood ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCyster – The dreaded social media sales…

This is one of my biggest pet hates after becoming so open about having PCOS ...
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/ / News & Media

#12DaysofCysters – A week in the life of a Cyster

As part of 12 days of Cysters, I would like to share with you a ...
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/ / clinic, diary, dietician, hospital, low gi, News & Media, pcos

#12DaysofCysters – My PCOS Story

I began to suffer from many of the physical symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome when ...
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/ / 12 days of cysters, cysters, diagnosis, diet, News & Media

A Christmas Wish – Egg Freezing Myths

With the run up to Christmas, the topic of infertility is bound to creep up ...
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/ / egg freezing, infertlity, News & Media, womens heath

Depo Provera – How safe is it?

In the UK only 3% of women choose the Depo-Provera injection as their form or ...
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/ / contraceptive injection, endometriosis, endometrosis, hormones, News & Media, pregnancy, side effects

7 Low GI Life Hacks to manage PCOS/Insulin Resistance

Across the UK, 1 in 10 women are diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a hormonal ...
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/ / diet, dietician, insulin resistance, list, low gi, News & Media, pcos, symptoms

10 Self Care Tips

Self Care tips A major component of self care is being aware of the messages ...
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/ / chronic illness, chronic pain, endometrosis, mental health, News & Media, pcos, self care, womens health

Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street

Cysters 1059. Neelam Heera Neelam Heera, from Birmingham, is the founder of 'Cysters', a charity ...
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/ / News & Media

UK Prime Minister awards outstanding paralegal and charity founder

Charity Founder makes a “point” about reproductive and mental health. British Prime Minister Theresa May ...
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/ / News & Media, Our Campaigns

Cysters Youth Board – why do we need a voice?

Young people who are diagnosed with reproductive health issues are often not taken seriously in ...
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/ / chronic illness, chronic pain, cysters, education, illness, News & Media, nhs, reproductive health, sexual health, youth

Youth Advisory Board

Youth Advisory Board The Youth Advisory Board will exist to provide the youthful perspective into ...
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/ / News & Media, Our Campaigns

My First Period

We love hearing these period stories from around the world! Through our shared experiences (and ...
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/ / News & Media

Gynae/Reproductive Health Issues

Our founder Neelam Heera was featured on the BBC about her journey with mental health ...
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/ / News & Media

Our Campaigns

...
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/ / Our Campaigns

Cysters Smear

We have seen the vigorous awareness campaigns across the United Kingdoms encouraging and inviting women ...
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/ / News & Media

Coping with infertility at Christmas

Christmas, a time for family and children, but spare a thought for those women who ...
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/ / News & Media

The Holistic Alternatives – Mizan Theraphy

Hello! My name is Lorna and I’m a 48-year-old woman, mother, wife and soon to ...
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/ / News & Media

PVD – “#ItsNotInYourHead”,

On October 6th, 2017 the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) in Vancouver, British Columbia helped ...
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/ / News & Media

My PCO & PCOS Misdiagnosis

PCO Story & The Phantom Period! At 18 I decided to go to the Dr ...
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/ / News & Media