Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness among the medical profession and the public of polycystic ovary syndrome.

The Government acknowledges that women suffering with gynaecological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, have been failed for far too long.

As set out in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, women's health is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.

The RCGP has also published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health from the RCGP, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Health. This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs and other primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients.

On the 15 July, the Department for Education published the revised Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance.

This revised guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that pupils have a comprehensive understanding of women’s health topics, including at primary school level, while also stipulating that secondary school RSHE lessons should cover menstrual and gynaecological health, covering aspects such as what is an average period and polycystic ovary syndrome, and including when to seek help from healthcare professionals.