Oxford-born actress Florence Pugh has spoken on her fertility issues, revealing she froze her eggs at the age of 27.

The Don’t Worry Darling star discussed her diagnosis of chronic conditions PCOS and endometriosis which led to the decision on a health podcast, SHE MD.

Gynaecological surgeon Dr Thaïs Aliabadi and influencer Mary Alice Haney invited Ms Pugh to open up on the show.

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Ms Pugh said: “I had this sudden feeling that I should go and get everything checked. I’d had a few weird dreams, I think my body was telling me."

Her gynaecologist, Dr Aliabadi, recommended that she have an egg count done.

“I was like, ‘No what do you mean? I’m so young. Why do I need an egg count?’” the Oppenheimer star explained.

The test resulted in her diagnoses of the chronic conditions, both of which remain underdiagnosed in the UK due to wide-ranging symptoms and a lack of understanding of what is considered “normal”.

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PCOS, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is a common condition which includes symptoms of excess androgen hormone, irregular cycles, and the formation of follicles, underdeveloped egg sacs, causing the ovaries to become enlarged.

Endometriosis is a chronic disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, which can be extremely painful and possibly effect other organs.

The two issues can severely impact female fertility.

Ms Pugh was diagnosed with both conditions and decided to freeze her eggs to ensure she can become a mother one day.

“It was just so bizarre because my family are baby-making machines. My mom had babies into her 40s. My gran had babies throughout,” she said.

“And then of course, I learned completely different information, at age 27, that I need to get my eggs out, and do it quickly, which was just a bit of a mind-boggling realization, and one that I’m really lucky and glad that I found out when I did because I’ve been wanting kids since I was a child.”

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Although she exhibited symptoms like excessive hair growth, acne, weight fluctuations and more before her diagnosis, Ms Pugh said: “I thought they were just part of being a woman.”

She called for better education on fertility issues for young people and suggested school’s curriculums are expanded to reflect them.

“If you have a dream of maybe one day being a mum, these things are so important, much like learning how to find lumps in your breast,” she told podcast listeners.

New episodes of SHE MD podcast are aired every Thursday.

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