Today’s guest is a truly inspirational woman, she is resilient, courageous warm and honest. We first met Sheree Hargreaves in October 2022 at the Menopause rally in Parliament square.At 15 Sheree was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency or POI, a diagnosis that she kept hidden from her friends and family for four years.Sheree was 19 and at home during lockdown when she felt ready to discuss POI more openly, saying “when I was 15 I would have loved to have heard someone spread awareness about early menopause and make it seem like it’s a bit more normal than I thought it was.”Sheree is now active within the Menopause grass roots community, raising awareness to help and support, not only teenagers but women in natural menopause too.In this Episode Sheree discusses the impact of menopause on her life at university, her ‘Granny days’, how opening up has lifted a huge weight off her shoulders. She is honest about her feelings toward fertility, boyfriends and relationships and tells us that if she’s not past her prime in menopause at 22 then no one is, whatever your age. Premature Ovarian Insufficiency happens when the ovaries stop functioning before the natural age of menopause. This means the ovaries no longer produce eggs and are unable to produce the hormones oestrogen and progesterone which are really important for women's health and wellbeing. Approximately one in 100 women under the age of 40, one in 1,000 women under 30, and one in 10,000 under 20 experience POI.POI can be caused by autoimmune conditions, cancer treatment, surgery or a genetics, however for 90 per cent of women diagnosed with POI, the cause is unfortunately idiopathic, meaning there is no known cause and it happens spontaneously.You can watch the full interview on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgmHLcdx28eco-XlkWYwUA Do you know who Stan McClain from Florida is? You’ll probably wish you didn’t after we tell you what he’s been up to! Jinty asks the question, ‘what was life like for women in medieval times?’ And the answer will definitely surprise you! There’s fashion news to take you back to the 1980’s, but will you be brave enough to wear it? In the Book Collective we read chapter 10 of Sarah Graham’s book, Rebel Bodies, and its titled, Menopausal Crones, when sexism and ageism collide, there’s some shocking statistics and some lovely familiar names in the chapter. It’s a chapter that will leave you furious! Jinty tells you the ingredients you’ll need for our spectacular Nice Buns feature and it’s all about Easter. There’s a fantastic quote for you again this week too and find out about the new WI. It’s another episode brimming with chat, your comments, and all the usual shenanigans. So, settle in for this hour(ish) podcast full of meaningful chat. Our campaign for a Menopause Clinic in Devon is moving closer but we still need signatures on our petition: https://www.change.org/p/wheresmyclinicOr to send your testimonials please email us: [email protected] finally, if you would like the templates to send to your MP or CCG please visit our website: https://menopauseclinicfordevon.co.uk Sheree Hargreaves: Instagram: @lifeofpoi_--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/womenkindcollectivepodcast/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related