Talia Oyando Shares Why She Turned to GLP-1 to Manage Her PMOS 

As September marks PMOS Awareness Month, television host and radio personality Talia Oyando is speaking about her personal experience with Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and her decision to use GLP-1 medication as part of her treatment plan.

Oyando, a familiar face in Kenyan media, revealed that she began experiencing symptoms in her early 20s, which persisted and intensified through her 30s. “It got really bad. It got really unbearable, and that is why I got onto GLP-1,” she shared.

Describing her experience, she highlighted the irregularity that defined her menstrual cycles. “I wasn’t the type of person who would say my cycle is 26 days or 30 days. My cycle would be 14 days. My cycle would be 15 days. My cycle would be 20 days. Two weeks. It was so unpredictable,” she explained. She also described heavy flow and unbearable pain as constant challenges.

Weight gain proved to be another difficult symptom, particularly because it defied her active lifestyle. “Knowing me as somebody who practically lives in the gym, the weight gain just kept going and going,” she said. “I was on my diet. I was eating well. I was working out, but even as much as I did that, I just kept adding weight, and it wasn’t going.“

She said her decision to start GLP-1 medication was not made lightly. She consulted her gynaecologist, who advised her to try it to see if it would help reduce her symptoms and improve her quality of life. “First, I spoke to my OB/GYN, who advised me to try it and see if it’s something that would help reduce the symptoms and help me have a better life and a less stressful life,” she said.

Talia used the opportunity to address the challenges faced by women with PMOS, particularly infertility. “Please stop asking women when they’re having children, when they will have another child, why they don’t have children. Please don’t do that. Just stop. It is none of your business,” she urged. “Let women deal with what they’re dealing with because a lot of women are dealing with infertility silently.“

She also noted other symptoms that often go unspoken, including hair loss and facial hair, stressing that PMOS involves far more than what is commonly discussed.

Oyando concluded with a warning against self-prescribing. “Don’t just jump on the GLP-1 because you know it’s working for other people. It might not work for you,” she advised. “What you need to do is see your OB/GYN first, get the correct tests done, get that diagnosis done, and then once your doctor says it’s right for you.”