Pokimane reveals PCOS diagnosis & urges viewers to “get checked”

Twitch streamer Pokimane spoke out about her PCOS diagnosis during a podcast episode with YouTuber Trisha Paytas, urging viewers to seek medical help if they experience any symptoms.

Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys is the most-followed woman on Twitch — and on May 28, 2024, she revealed that she’d been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS.

PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that happens when the ovaries produce an excess amount of androgens. The condition can cause irregular periods, acne, excessive hair growth, and even infertility.

Anys admitted that she’s suffered from irregular periods her “whole life,” but it wasn’t until her mid-twenties, nearly a year ago, that she was finally able to be diagnosed.

“I’ve had irregular periods my whole life, and I’ve been talking to doctors about it my whole life. It’s crazy to me that it was only until literally my mid-twenties that a doctor actually could say, ‘Oh, it’s because you have PCOS,” the streamer said.

Pokimane went on to describe her symptoms as being “hormonally sensitive,” saying if she’s not “taking super-specific good care of my body, I’m just not gonna get my period. My first year of engineering, when I was 18-19, I didn’t get my period once.”

The Twitch star claimed that her doctors kept trying to get her to take a birth control pill, which can help to regulate periods with hormones… but Poki said that she “wanted to be able to regulate my period naturally” and “understand what was going on with my body.”

It took the steamer a year from her diagnosis to speak out about it, admitting that she felt ‘ashamed’ and worried that she would be ‘judged’ for revealing it to her audience of over 9 million viewers — but she believes that more people should be informed of the condition in case they have it.

“I didn’t wanna talk about my diagnosis for a little while because, I think anytime you’re diagnosed with something, there’s a bit of shame or feeling like or, ‘Oh, is something wrong with me?’ or, ‘Are people gonna judge me?’ But at this point, people need to know. So many more people have PCOS than they even know.”

“If you have irregular periods at all, please get checked,” she urged.

(Topic begins at 28:50)

Pokimane isn’t the first major female streamer to speak out about her health issues. In 2023, Twitch star Amouranth revealed she was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian failure, saying her body had been in “perimenopause for some time.”

The diagnosis prevented her from participating in a boxing event she was scheduled to fight in, saying that she’d have to undergo daily injections for nearly two weeks. Luckily, Amouranth has been able to return to streaming as normal and continues to be a major powerhouse in the space alongside Pokimane.