Being a woman in business is undeniably challenging. Aside from issues like gender pay gaps, male-dominated industries like tech and finance often boast a boys' club culture that hinders career progression. For example, women are more likely to develop a 'negotiation confidence gap' in these environments that prevents them from asking for pay raises and promotions.

If you're gunning to climb the career ladder, your biology can work against you, too. Mothers are less likely to progress at work, withdrawing from their jobs over time—compared to fathers who are better positioned to move to higher-paying roles. Yet that's not the only women-specific health condition that can affect how you work. One in every 10 women in the UK has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and if you're among them, you may also experience impacted career growth. Here's what you need to know:

How PCOS slows career progression for women

PCOS is a genetic condition that affects hormone levels in the reproductive system. It then goes on to impact multiple aspects of your health and well-being in ways that affect your productivity. Women with PCOS experience more occupational stress, especially when it comes to balancing work with symptoms like irregular periods, decreased energy levels due to weight gain, and worsened mental health—which the BBC notes is an under-recognised result of the disease. Medical News Today adds that PCOS can alter your brain structure, affecting your attention, memory, and verbal ability over time. All these effects can negatively impact your work performance and career growth. In fact, one in five women diagnosed with PCOS reports that it's affected their chances of career progression and receiving increases in potential earnings.

What aspiring executives can do about it

Though PCOS can make it harder to eventually work in more senior roles, it's still an obstacle that's possible to overcome. Properly managing the disease can improve your chances of career progression—helping you boost the numbers of women executives in the UK and putting you in a position to help other women with PCOS down the line.

Eat better

Over 88% of women with PCOS are overweight and obese, and even minor weight gain caused by the disease can worsen its symptoms. Simple dietary changes can help you lose 5-10% of your weight. That alone can help regulate your periods, boost your mood, improve your memory, and even control acne and excess hair growth that may cause you stress in the workplace. To follow the best possible PCOS diet to lose weight, eat more fibre, complex carbohydrates, proteins, and heart-healthy fats while avoiding added sugar and processed carbohydrates. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fatty fish like salmon will keep your blood sugar steady while naturally reducing your appetite. That way, you can sustainably lose weight and minimise PCOS symptoms that get in the way of work and eventual career growth.

Move more

Working out regularly can do more than just improve the benefits of healthy weight loss mentioned above. Exercising for PCOS management can help you sleep better and prevent you from developing complications like diabetes and heart disease. More importantly, it can correct hormonal imbalances by promoting estrogen production. It can even create enough endorphins to boost your mood, relieve stress, and improve your mental well-being. Aerobic workouts like running and biking and mind-body exercises like yoga can help you reap these benefits, so choose activities you love to build a fitness habit and perform better at work.

Seek support

More workplaces now offer their female employees menstrual benefits, but if yours doesn't, you can help pave the way for progress. If you work in a senior role in your current company, you can help implement benefits that will be especially helpful for the aspiring women executives who come after you. Reach out to a trusted coworker—someone other than HR or your direct supervisor—and factually explain how PCOS affects your performance and, in turn, your company's bottom line. From here, you can pitch guidelines you can follow to work effectively.

You can even recommend that your employer join endeavours like the Women's Resource Centre's Invisible Workplace Initiative to enact longer-term policies—especially since PCOS is a fairly common but under-recognised disease that may also affect your fellow and future women colleagues. It's a great way to show initiative as an aspiring executive, work toward career progression, and pay it forward by ensuring that other women with PCOS who work at your company will get the support they need.