A woman with PCOS broke the Guinness World Record for longest female beard

• A Michigan woman living with PCOS broke the Guinness World Record for the longest female beard.
• Erin Honeycutt, 38, grew a beard that measured 11.8 inches.

A woman with polycystic ovary syndrome just broke a world record for the longest female beard.

Erin Honeycutt, a 38-year-old from Michigan, has been growing her 11.8-inch beard for about two years, according to a press release from Guinness World Records.

Honeycutt lives with PCOS, which causes hormone imbalances that can lead to hair growth on the face in women and other symptoms. She began growing facial hair at age 13 and spent years shaving and waxing before her wife encouraged her to grow a beard during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to the press release.

"It really gave me a chance to build my confidence in growing a beard," Honeycutt says in the press release. "Wearing masks really helped with building my confidence in going out in public."

Honeycutt doesn't take supplements or hormones, so her beard is natural. The previous record for the longest female beard was held by 75-year-old Vivian Wheeler, who grew a 10.04-inch beard, according to Guinness World Records.

"I never thought that I would be able to attain or achieve a goal that would let me be in a book, and it's just kind of a nice thing to be recognized for, even though it's just something that happens naturally for me," Honeycutt said.