Florence Pugh has opened up about her decision to freeze her eggs last year after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis — and her comments are an all-too familiar reminder that we still don’t talk about women’s health nearly enough.
The Dune II actor appeared on the She MD podcast where she spoke to Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, an American OBGYN, and Mary Alice Haney about her reproductive health journey so far.
As she explained, it began when she started to notice changes in her body. “I had this sudden feeling that I should go and get everything checked,” she recalled. “I’d had a few weird dreams; I think my body was telling me.”
She then met with Aliabadi, who suggested she get an egg count.
“And I was like, ‘No, what do you mean? I’m so young. Why do I need an egg count?’” Pugh went on.
Pugh was eventually diagnosed with PCOS and endometriosis. After her diagnosis, Aliabadi recommended that she consider freezing her eggs.
Florence Pugh went on to explain feeling shocked by the recommendation. After all, she had never considered that she might have fertility issues at such a young age. “It was just so bizarre because my family are baby-making machines,” Pugh said. “My mum had babies into her 40s. My gran had babies throughout…and then, of course, I learned completely different information, at age 27, that I need to get my eggs out and do it quickly, which was just a bit of a mind-boggling realisation and one that I’m really lucky and glad that I found out when I did because I’ve been wanting kids since I was a child.”
After going through this process in America, Pugh returned to England and was initially met with scepticism in the UK. In fact, one doctor dismissed her, saying, “No, you’ll be fine.” She added, “I got shut down, told that I was essentially making things up, and that my gynaecologist in America was making things up […] That just proves to me that the conversation isn’t loud enough.”
Pugh’s story has resonated with countless women who have been through similar experiences on their own fertility journeys.
“What can I say (from personal experience) about Florence Pugh being diagnosed with PCOS & endometriosis is that she has been feeling unbearable pains while doing everything she did all this time,” wrote one person on X. “This is further proof of how we should not judge or assume about famous people.”
Others pointed out that Pugh’s story showed a gap in the British healthcare system’s approach to women’s fertility.
“oh wow so florence pugh got diagnosed with pcos and endometriosis by a gynecologist in america and then she want back to her gynecologist in london and that gynecologist told flo that she couldn’t possibly have pcos bc she was only 27 and that she was making it up basically,” one person wrote.
