September is a popular month for health issue awareness and the Muskingum County Commissioners added one more syndrome to the awareness list.

Polycystic Ovary (Ovarian) Syndrome is a hormone disorder that affects roughly 1 in 10 women that are of reproductive age. The syndrome affects reproduction, mood and weight while causing chronic fatigue and much more.

Hayley Devoll, a PCOS activist, met with the Muskingum County Commissioners Monday to raise awareness, to request that September be honored as PCOS Awareness Month and for the courthouse to be lit up with the PCOS color, teal.

The Commissioners presented Devoll with a proclaimation in accordance with her request and have scheduled the Court House to be lit teal in honor of PCOS and all of the women it has affected on Saturday, Sept. 29.

“Spreading awareness means the world to me because I didn’t have that when I was diagnosed,” Devoll said.

Devoll said many women that have PCOS are not aware of it becasue the syndrome often masks itself as soemthing else. She told the commisioners that it took roughly a year for her to be officially disgnosed with it.

While PCOS affects women in their everyday life, Devoll encourages women to keep their heads up, get educated and find some support. She runs a virtual support group-like page through her Instagram account (@hayleydlosing) to track her weight loss progress and journey with PCOS.

“Don’t give up hope,” Devoll said. “I never thought I could have a baby and I got pregnant, granted I lost it, but that was my biggest hope in the whole world, thinking I could never even have a baby. So, don’t ever give up and don’t think you’re alone.”

PCOS is not just a health issue that affects 1 in 10 women, it affects the people around them as well. With the hormone issue that it presents, Devoll said that it’s difficult to deal with for both the women and the people that love them.

“For everyone that has a loved one that has PCOS, thank you,” Devoll said. “I mean, it’s not easy … it’s hard to deal with us. So, everybody that’s out there supporting us, thank you.”

A previous version of this article stated Sept. 29 as a Sunday.