Emma O'Byrne 'blown away' by support after speaking about PCOS

Michael Bolton

Dublin camogie player Emma O'Byrne says she has been taken aback by the support she received after speaking about her struggles with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Earlier this year, O'Byrne spoke on how the condition has affected her, with symptoms including extremely painful and heavy periods, weight fluctuation, loss of energy and extreme fatigue.

Cysts can also burst at any time, which forced O'Byrne to miss the 2023 season.

Speaking before the Centra National League Division 1B final, the 26-year-old said she was struck by the number of people who reached out to her.

"The feedback has been hugely positive, to be honest. I am blown away by the positivity I have received.

"It is really encouraging to see younger girls who are playing the sport message me, who are also going through the same thing.

"If I can help just one person, that is my main goal.

"I think normalising the conversation around women's health is really important as well.

"We as players have a great opportunity to voice our experience. I think if other players could do that as well, it would only benefit the sport and benefit the conversation around female health as well.

"It is very male-dominated in camogie, as we do have a lot of male coaches. It is good to normalise those conversations and try to be on the same page and try to help them understand as well."

On the pitch, Dublin are preparing for their Division 1B final against Clare on April 12th.

Dublin finished second, three points behind Clare, with the sides drawing in their first game of the season.

In a game, O'Byrne believes they should have won, she says the team had learned a lot from that day.

"The first day out against Clare was a very tough battle. We obviously would have hoped to win that, but in hindsight, we can use that in our preparation and see where we went wrong."

After a disappointing 2025, which saw Dublin relegated to Division 1B and fail to get out of their group in the championship, O'Byrne feels they are on the right track as they head into the final.

"If we sat down and looked at our goals at the start of the year, a 1B title was definitely on the cards for us. I think we are heading in the right direction.

"In 2024, we won a league 1B title and went on to have a successful championship campaign. Using that momentum from a 1B league is really important going into the Leinster and All-Ireland championships."