17-Year-Old Avni Khattar Takes PCOS Awareness Drive To Over 20,000 Girls Across 20 States

Mumbai: At 17, Avni Khattar, a Class 12 student of Bombay Scottish School, is trying to start conversations about a health condition that many young girls may experience but few openly discuss. Through awareness sessions on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Khattar has reached more than 20,000 girls across 20 states, urging them to recognise symptoms early and seek medical advice.

Internship Sparks Interest

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Khattar's interest in PCOS began during an internship she undertook as part of her preparation for higher studies. She spent time observing consultations conducted by Dr Indrani Salunkhe at Wockhardt Hospital. While she was not qualified to interact with patients, observing the consultations gave her an insight into the concerns being brought to the clinic.

“As I observed the patient consultations, I noticed that most of the young girls had menstrual or other bodily issues that were due to underlying PCOS, while older women had infertility issues where PCOS had not been detected at an early stage,” she said.

Survey Reveals Awareness Gap

The experience prompted Khattar to speak to her friends about PCOS. She soon realised that awareness among teenagers was limited. She created a Google Form and circulated it among 180 girls in her social circle. Only 18 respondents said they were aware of PCOS, while most said they had little or no knowledge about hormonal health.

According to her survey, only about 8.3 per cent of respondents felt their schools had adequately taught them about hormonal health, while around nine per cent said they were aware of PCOS. Many respondents also said no one had explained the condition to them.

Symptoms Often Dismissed

“Girls were experiencing things like weight gain, acne and facial hair, but these were often treated as something that just happens during adolescence. There was very little understanding that these could also be symptoms that need medical attention,” Khattar said.

This led her to begin conducting awareness sessions in schools and communities. Her sessions have included students from schools in Agripada and Dongri, girls at a remand home, children from an orphanage and girls from communities in Kamathipura. She has also reached students in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Orissa and other parts of the country through online sessions.

Doctors Provide Guidance

The sessions typically begin with a five-minute video explaining the basics of PCOS, followed by around 30 minutes of interaction. Students can ask questions directly during the sessions or through teachers, with medical queries being referred to doctors. Khattar has also connected students with endocrinologists for further guidance.

“We spoke to girls who were not comfortable discussing these issues with their friends or parents. These sessions have helped make PCOS and menstrual health more of a table conversation,” she said.

No Push For Self-Diagnosis

For Khattar, the objective is not to encourage teenagers to self-diagnose, but to help them recognise when something may require professional attention. She emphasises basic lifestyle factors such as adequate sleep, regular physical activity, drinking enough water and maintaining a balanced diet, while encouraging girls with persistent or concerning symptoms to consult a doctor.

PCOS is a hormonal condition that can affect menstrual cycles, ovulation and fertility, and can be associated with symptoms such as acne, excess facial or body hair and weight changes. It is also associated with longer-term health risks, making early recognition and management important.

Initiative Goes Beyond Sessions

Khattar has consulted medical professionals including endocrinologist Dr Duru Shah while developing her awareness initiative. Her work has also expanded beyond awareness sessions. She is working on developing a website and educational toolkit that can be used by schools and students, along with a telecommunication component to connect young people with appropriate medical guidance.

The initiative has also taken her into conversations about menstrual health more broadly. She is associated with NGO SheEGenXo and has been exploring ways to improve access to menstrual products. As part of this effort, she aims to raise Rs 10 lakh towards a machine that can manufacture sanitary pads.

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While preparing to pursue biochemistry, Khattar says her interest in PCOS also comes from wanting to understand the condition beyond its visible symptoms.

“The way urban lives are lived, with lack of exercise and unhealthy routines, can create several risk factors. But PCOS is often looked upon as a fault rather than a medical condition,” she said.

She now hopes to take the initiative further by studying the condition at a biochemical level, including possible early-detection markers and drug therapies.

For now, however, her priority remains simpler ensuring that young girls know that irregular periods, persistent acne, unexplained weight changes or excess facial hair should not automatically be dismissed as something they simply have to live with.

“Recognise the problem, consult a doctor and deal with it. We are mostly aiming at destigmatising it,” Khattar said.

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