Sitting in 6th class and having hot flushes at the age of 12

Listen here to Menopause Uprising, the Podcast with Catherine

When I stared studying and researching menopause years ago I was struck by the many forms of early menopause and by Premature Ovarian Insufficieny (POI) in particular. At the time I struggled to find any information in Ireland and luckily I came upon the Daisy Network - a UK based charity. I reached out to them and soon became the Irish representative for this crucial support service. Since that day I know the awareness and discussion in relation to menopause has expanded and now we need to make sure we keep going and go deeper into the many layers of menopause.

 POI  is one form of menopause that comes with so much complexity and challenges. I was thrilled to have two fabulous women from our POI Friends Support Group join my podcast and share their stories.

This wasn’t easy.

Neither Jenny nor Ruth’s journey has been easy.

Jenny was in 6th class in primary school when her hot flushes started.

I am in awe of both of them and the journey they have taken and so appreciative of their bravery in sharing their stories - I know it wasn’t easy, there were lumps in all our throats at different stages of this recording.

Thank you Jenny & Ruth for sharing your stories so vulnerably I know it will help so many others.

Natural Menopause is a privilege - the earlier forms of menopause come with many additional challenges - physically, emotionally and mentally.

Jenny Grace is a Yoga Teacher with a background in Psychology.

She offers accessible yoga for all body types with a focus on yoga for both physical and mental health. You can follow her on Instagram @_connect_yoga_ 

She also manages @the_poi_guide on Instagram which raises awareness of POI and creates community.

Dr Ruth Brennan (she/her), is an Independent Scholar and  Local Advisor to Luke 'Ming' Flanagan MEP, European Parliament, Brussels.

Listen here to Menopause Uprising, the Podcast with Catherine