Many women might have it and not even know it. A woman like Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Yovania Delvalle-Alicea of VAQ-129’s AT shop.

In the last year the 22-year old Sailor was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which is one of most common hormonal endocrine disorders in women.

“Being diagnosed and having family members taken from the disease, I feel obliged to help spread PCOS awareness,” said Delvalle-Alicea.

According to Wikipedia, PCOS affects 5 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age (12–45 years old) and is thought to be one of the leading causes of female infertility, as well as a major risk factor for developing diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol later in life.

Delvalle-Alicea is on a mission, and has enrolled herself in Prilosec OTC’s “The Official Sponsor of You” contest to win a sponsorship to start a non-profit organization to help raise awareness for PCOS.

“Starting a non-profit organization takes a lot of time and money and I just don’t have the means to get it going,” she said. “The contest Prilosec OTC is hosting is a huge opportunity for me because the sponsorship they are awarding will help with start-up costs.”

Delvalle-Alicia calls South Florida home. PCOS hit her during puberty. “It all started in middle school. I gained weight and I couldn’t understand why I was getting facial hair,” she said. With recent national news on bullying in schools, Delvalle-Alicea experienced it firsthand because of PCOS. “I was picked on and treated like an alien.”

Delvalle-Alicea’s family knows the dangers of PCOS, having lost an aunt to colon cancer as a result of PCOS.

“The doctors told her it was because she had cysts in her ovaries, and they had developed into tumors that moved to her colon,” she said. “If my aunt (age 42) had known about PCOS, she would probably have been able to treat herself at an early age and still be with her five children.”

She wants to help other teen girls and women suffering the same physical and mental problems she experienced by bringing attention to PCOS and getting early diagnosis.

Delvalle-Alicea’s long-range goal is to draw as much attention to PCOS as breast cancer awareness. Education and early detection are the keys to getting treatment. As far as she is concerned, if women don’t know about PCOS, they can’t take an active role in their personal healthcare. Delvalle-Alicea is passionate about making this happen; making life better for those who come after her.