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00:00This is 13 year old me having a hot flush, but little did I know what I was actually going through.
00:06Fast forward two years and I was diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency, which is essentially early menopause. During those two years
00:14I struggled with anorexia and my periods had stopped so I went to the doctor to seek some help.
00:19I was told that my periods would come back once I retained a healthy eating routine. A year had passed and my periods still hadn't
00:26come back, but as a teenager, I didn't think anything of it because the doctor had told me I was okay.
00:31But it wasn't long before my mum thought that things weren't quite right. I was having all these hot flushes,
00:37I retained a healthy eating routine, I wasn't overexercising and I was a healthy weight.
00:41So we went back to the doctor and once again, we were pushed away. Finally at age 15
00:47I was blessed enough to be given a doctor that finally understood what I was going through. The hot flushes, the cognitive issues of anxiety,
00:55feeling down, having these spurs of anger for no reason, all started to make sense.
01:06But suddenly I was faced with issues
01:08I had never imagined. From possible long-term health implications like osteofibrosis, bone density scan and even heart issues.
01:16To not being able to have my own biological child and facing relationships with this weight on my shoulders.
01:22It all felt like unknown territory to me.
01:25But why was I going through menopause so early? Well, the truth is 90% of women diagnosed with POI or early menopause
01:32don't have any real reason or cause why they were diagnosed so soon. Women typically of the age of 50 go through menopause naturally,
01:40but those aged between 40 or 45 can go through early menopause and those aged under 40 can go through premature
01:47ovarian insufficiency, which isn't as uncommon as most people would think. In fact, 4% of women go through POI
01:54globally and a shocking 12% of women go through early menopause globally, adding up to 15% of women going through menopause
02:02before the natural age they should be. And this number is only on the rise with the more research we find out about it.
02:09Which is why I'm calling for women's voices to be heard this National Menopause Month. Women shouldn't have to advocate for themselves when getting a diagnosis
02:16or when they're struggling with their hormone replacement therapy. There needs to be more research and education
02:21into menopause and POI to understand what actually triggers it to happen so young and what can be done to reduce these statistics.
02:29Any woman at any age can go through menopause. So join the conversation today and make menopause matter.