Francia Raisa says she has polycystic ovary syndrome: ‘Learning to live with it’

American actor Francia Raisa has revealed that she has polycystic ovary syndrome.

The How I Met Your Father star, 35, shared an Instagram post on Monday (7 August) to celebrate the release of her friend’s book, Living With PCOS: Road To Reversal by Candice Craig.

“My friend wrote a book about PCOS,” Raisa wrote in an Instagram Story to her 1.7m followers as she posed with her Craig.

“I also have PCOS and still learning how to live with it. Thanks for this @candice,” she added in the next slide, photographing Craig’s book.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common condition that causes irregular periods, difficulty getting pregnant and high levels of androgen hormones. The condition occurs when follicles (fluid-filled sacs) form in the ovaries.

According to the NHS, PCOS affects around one in every 10 women in the UK and more than half of these women do not have any symptoms.

Symptoms of PCOS usually become apparent in your late teens or early twenties, which also includes excessive hair growth, weight gain, thinning hair, oily skin or acne.

While the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, the NHS says that it typically runs in families and can be related to abnormal hormone levels in the body, including high levels of insulin – the hormone that controls sugar levels in the body.

While Raisa did not disclose any more information about her condition, the Grown-ish actor recently opened up about donating her kidney to Selena Gomez in 2017.

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Raisa reflected on her kidney donation during a recent appearance on the Good Guys podcast. Speaking to hosts Josh Peck and Ben Soffer, Raisa recalled how the medical procedure felt like the right thing for her to do amid Gomez’s lupus diagnosis.

“I’ve said this before, but that was a time where I just felt it in my heart,” she said. “I knew I was a match. I knew it was going to happen.”

Raisa emphasised that she was the one who chose to donate her kidney, adding: “No one forced me to do anything. It came out of the genuine kindness of my heart, and I’ve been super blessed ever since.”

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Meanwhile, the “Calm Down” singer has also opened up about her relationship with Raisa after the kidney donation. In a March episode of Apple TV Plus’s documentary series Dear…, Gomez explained how the How I Met Your Father star offered to donate her kidney.

“My best friend. Her name is Francia. She said: ‘No, I am absolutely getting tested,’” the Disney Channel alum recalled. “And within three days, she went to get tested, and she was a match. And it was one of those moments where I felt watched over. I know I was so, so, so lucky.”

Gomez added that Raisa “not even second-guessing [being] a donor” was “unbelievably overwhelming” and that she will “never ever, ever be more in debt to a person than Francia”.

Raisa has previously tried to dispel rumours that the pair have been “feuding” since the donation, with the actor telling TMZ last month: “There no beef, guys.”