HAPI supports ‘The September Project’: PCOS Advocacy by a 7-Woman Collective

Here’s to Women building up Women this September!

September signals the end of a season and the beginning of another – symbolically a transitory period that may hold uncertainties but also opportunities for growth and introspection.

For seven (7) women, September is a month for healing and self-celebration. It is also a month for coming to terms with the suffering that womankind has had and continues to endure. We are not only talking about the pains of pregnancy, or miscarriage, or painful periods, or centuries of subjugation and exclusion. We are talking about a “silent killer”, one that may incapacitate a woman in ways perhaps men and women themselves would never fully understand unless they receive the healthcare and support necessary to battle it. This silent killer has a name — PCOS.

PCOS: An Overview

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or more commonly known by its acronym, PCOS, is a medical condition that affects 5 to 20 percent of women globally. According to a 2022 study by the UK Research and Innovation, approximately 4.5 million Filipinas live with PCOS. What is disheartening is the fact that despite this significant number, Philippine healthcare remains poor and/or inaccessible for women with this disorder, and in general (Hupela-PCOS-Filipina, 2022). It is one of the most common causes – if not the leading cause – of infertility among women (Endocrine Society, 2022; Pinkerton, 2020; Olivero, 2015; Shackelton, 2006; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.; Cleveland Clinic, n.d.).

PCOS signifies an imbalance in reproductive hormones that not only adversely affects a woman chemically, but also physiologically, emotionally, and mentally.

Despite how prevalent this hormonal disorder is, many women are not fully aware that they have it. Those that are diagnosed with PCOS typically lack sufficient means to sustain a healthier lifestyle that could help them alleviate its symptoms which include acne/oily skin, hirsutism (excessive body hair growth), weight gain or fluctuations, hair loss, skin tags, bloating, irregular periods or the lack of it, and difficulty getting pregnant. It may later lead to complications like sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc (Jain, et al., 2021).

Several studies have confirmed that women with PCOS are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety (Lin, et al., 2021) and are more at risk to do self-harm and commit suicide. In fact, “suicide attempts were seven times more common for women with PCOS compared to age-matched controls” (Williams, Fido, & Sheffield, 2022).

The September Project Collective

The whole month of September is dedicated to PCOS Awareness; coincidentally, September 4 is considered World Sexual Health Day, and September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day.

The September Project started out as a personal birthday advocacy of its Lead Organizer, Roma Jane Hechanova (also Lead Organizer of HAPI’s Pride-related events last June), to educate more Filipinos about the implications of PCOS on women and how they can better manage it. Hechanova is a woman with PCOS and a member of the Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI). She represented Humanists International in the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council and delivered a speech about the current progress on women’s and LGBTQI+ rights in the Philippines this past June.

With the help of fellow feminist-activists, artists, and poets, the idea has grown into a collective composed of seven (7) women (four of whom are living with PCOS) coming together and leading this project. The September Project is a three-part initiative that plans to organize an informative talk on PCOS, feature women living with PCOS, and use art as a creative and effective vehicle to inspire women to love their bodies more.

Hechanova is working with Christa Vega, Athenea Perez, Geli Arceño, Shyndel Mia Sastrillo, Azleigh Dawn Abrio, and Venise Alexandria Taboada: all fellow feminists, artists, and writers from all over the Philippines, with one based abroad. Voice-over talent and influencer Inka Magnaye also supports and has agreed to be a part of the whole advocacy.

Christa Vega, who will be doing a five-part art series for the project, was recently lauded as one of the Top 11 Visual Art Influencers in the Philippines. Christa is the woman behind #SecretNudes by slothbender, who seeks to empower fellow women by drawing their intimate photos (with their consent) as a creative protest against nude leaks.

Christa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Visual Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She won the Gawad Tanglaw Award for Outstanding Campaign for her thesis “Selfiewareness: An Advocacy on Digital Violence against Women.” Christa also previously collaborated with HAPI and exhibited her works at HAPI’s Pride Art Exhibit. She also designed the artwork “Pride Open” for HAPI which is now used as the official design for this project.

Athenea Barbara Perez (Enya) is a PR copywriter in Cebu City. She is currently studying MA Clinical Psychology at the University of San Carlos (USC). She is a feminist, writer, and mental health advocate – and a woman living with PCOS. She practices mindfulness through journalling, meditation, and yoga, and hopes to one day incorporate these healing modalities into her practice as a future psychotherapist.

Enya is also a newbie freediver, sci-fi nerd, and film enthusiast. Occasionally, she dabbles in feminist philosophy and creative non-fiction.

Geli Arceño is an educator, art writer, and cultural worker from Bacolod City, and is currently the lead officer of Cinematheque Negros in the Film Development Council of the Philippines. She used to teach Creative Writing and 21st Century Literature to Senior High School students.

Geli does freelance art writing and creative writing. She is also involved in local theater and film productions as a production manager and talent. She is an activist for National Democracy. Geli is also a woman living with PCOS.

Shyndel Mia Sastrillo is a Dumaguete-based and self-taught crochet artist. She has found herself entangled in the ways of fiber manipulation as early as 15 years old. She hopes to elevate crochet from its crafting status by turning it into a contemporary art piece. With thousands of stitches composing the intricacies of every piece, she certainly has the patience to stab something for hours.

Shyndel is currently studying Management at Silliman University and is working at an art souvenir shop. She is also a woman living with PCOS, and was Co-Organizer for the HAPI Pride Art Exhibit held last June 19-30, where she also exhibited her crochet installation art called “Fluid”.

Dawn Abrio is a self-taught artist from Dumaguete City who is currently pursuing Fine Arts at Silliman University. She started drawing during the first pandemic lockdown in 2020 and has been drawing ever since. She mainly works with digital art, charcoal, and pen and ink.

Dawn also exhibited her work “Miss Temptation” in HAPI’s Pride Art Exhibit last June organized by Hechanova and Sastrillo. Dawn is also a poet and a lover of the Moon.

Venise Alexandria Taboada is a writer, first and foremost, who seeks to tell transformative stories. She is studying Industrial Engineering and Management in the Netherlands.

She aims to cultivate the creative, technical aspects of this project to aid in achieving its success, defined by the gained awareness of the stories these women have to tell. Venise is also a poet, a visual artist, and a former student journalist.

The Talk on PCOS

The Collective is launching The September Project today, September 1, and will be posting informative content via the HAPI Facebook page and other PCOS-related FB groups. They are also organizing an informative talk on PCOS with PCOS expert Dr. Ira Irabon on September 17, 6 PM (MNL Standard Time) which will be live-streamed on the aforementioned platform. Dr. Irabon is an obstetrician-gynecologist specializing in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. She graduated from the University of Sto. Tomas-Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and trained in OB-Gyne in the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital.

Partners and Collaborators

The Collective is also collaborating with several artists for an art series where they will be illustrating some women living with PCOS in the hopes of making them appreciate their bodies more, depicting them in different art forms, and celebrating their diversity and beauty, further enhanced by how they continue to weather and overcome their constant suffering.

Hailing from Dumaguete are Fine Arts students at Silliman University, Andrea Baylon, Danica Casalta, Jhia Missy Nasara, Jose Lasig, Joy Cuizon, and Ruby Mae Dunque. Negros Occidental-based artists Zanna Jamili, Zabiel Caro Nemenzo, and Tatiff Tinsay, also volunteered to be part of the Project.

The women who have said yes to sharing their stories via this creative collaboration are Athena Lastimosa, Christine Perez, Jaz Rejas, Madelyne Gauna, Martha Aquino, Nina Bonita, Ricka Rose Inocencio, Rosie Torres, Virlyn Antonio, and Lyka. They come from all over the Philippines, from different walks of life and industries – yet now, they are uniting for one reason: to face this “silent killer” and defeat it daily with the support of an enlightened community and a collective that inspires, enlightens, and empowers not only this September!

If you wish to share your story and join the Talk on PCOS, please register via this Form: