Woman with PCOS has accepted her full beard

A woman who suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and therefore has a full beard has told how she learned to accept her body hair.

Nova Galaxia, 26, of Virginia, began growing facial and body hair when she reached puberty.

However, she decided to keep what was happening to her body a secret until, three years later, she finally confessed to her parents and was diagnosed with PCOS.

According to the NHS, PCOS is a common condition that affects the function of a woman’s ovaries.

Due to the high levels of “male hormones” in affected women, one of the most common side effects of PCOS is the growth of dark hair on the face and body.

Although excess hair is completely natural, it is often considered a beauty taboo and women therefore often feel pressure to have it removed.

And even after her diagnosis, Nova continued to shave her beard.

“I started shaving all the time. I was scared I would be thought of as a freak,” she told TV presenters Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield on “This Morning.”

“It was basically a demon that I had to hide from everyone. If I wanted to go to slumber parties or go out on the town with people, I always had to hide my routine, I had to hide my whole process. If I forgot a razor, I would have a nervous breakdown,” she told the hosts.

That changed when Nova met her partner, who encouraged her to accept her body hair as part of herself.

“We both believe that our bodies belong to us and we love each other for our personalities,” she explained.

Nova was also inspired by model Harnaam Kaur, who also suffers from PCOS and has a full beard.

“It wasn’t until I saw a model who has the same disease as me, and she’s stunningly beautiful and incredible and super confident, that I realized it’s okay – I can be like that too. I can embrace everything I have and be happy with it,” she explains.

After her body confidence began to falter when it came to showing her face in public, Nova finally realized that she had to fully embrace her appearance, facial hair and everything else.

“It was something that held me back for so long and something I hated about myself… when I stopped doing it, it was like I was rebelling against that hatred. And it felt great,” she continued.

And viewers were quick to applaud Nova on social media for her newfound body positivity.

“This lady’s beard is really great! She looks super cool (and also like a total bad ass).” #this morning “I can’t grow a beard so I’m a little jealous :O,” wrote one user.

“PCOS is such an overlooked condition, mine is nowhere near as bad as this lady’s but that’s the way it is,” wrote another user.

“It’s lovely to see Nova doesn’t care what she looks like. Lettie from Greatest Showman sang the perfect song: ‘I am brave, I am hurt, I am who I am meant to be, this is who I am’, that’s how everyone should be,” another user added.

Nova isn’t the only woman to speak out about her battle with PCOS. Earlier this year, Leah Jorgensen, a 33-year-old behavioral therapist from Wisconsin, revealed that she had decided to embrace her excessive body hair by throwing away her razor.

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