This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday by The Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song. It dissects the latest gadgets and products claiming to revolutionize health and wellness. Subscribe to Optimizer here.
A few days ago, my esthetician was applying hot wax to my face. The two caterpillar-like eyebrows I call my own were in desperate need of taming—as was the lady ‘stache above my lip. I dread this monthly ritual, but facial hair is a persistent sore spot. Hirsutism is one of the few visible signs of a condition that has affected me for the past decade. Until this week, I knew it as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Normally, I would stop the sentence there. But this week, I’m thinking differently about PCOS—and the personalized health technologies marketed to manage it.
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