Ahtisa Manalo opens up about living with PCOS
Miss Universe 2025 third runner-up Ahtisa Manalo opened up about her battle with PCOS.
In a vlog by beauty and wellness entrepreneur Jonah Sison-Ramos, the beauty queen shared that she was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in her early 20s.
“I think I found out I had PCOS mga siguro 21 na ’ko because it’s not a topic that people usually talk about, and honestly, I think for a while, it was taboo to even speak about your period or your menstruation, especially with the things that come with it," she said. "For me, I always had painful periods and I thought it was normal. I thought whenever you had periods, it was just normal to be in pain."
Manalo said she didn't do anything about it until she started getting sponsored by Sison-Ramos' brand New Moon, which offers supplements that "may help support cycles, skin clarity, mood, and energy."
“Actually, for a very long time, I didn’t do anything about it because I didn’t know what to do. There were no medications or supplements available yet back then," she said, adding that she only used to apply heat via a warm compress to manage the pain.
When asked about the hardest part of living with PCOS, Manalo said, "Apart from the pain, it's, for me, the weight fluctuations."
"That’s one thing that I struggle with because for my job, I have to maintain a certain kind of physique and sometimes you [have] hormonal changes," she said. "Sometimes when you try to say lose a little bit of weight 'cause you think you’re gaining weight, like it’s hard. And it’s not as calculated and easy to do because your hormones fluctuate."
Manalo placed fourth at the 74th Miss Universe in Thailand, with Mexico's Fatima Bosch winning the title. She was hailed as the third placer in the "Beyond the Crown" competition at the pageant's after-party.
According to the World Health Organization, 6% to 13% of reproductive-aged women experience PCOS, a hormonal condition that includes symptoms like irregular periods, hormonal imbalances, cysts in the ovaries, and higher-than-normal levels of androgen (steroid hormones that trigger male physical traits, strengthen bones, and boost red blood cell production).
