For this week's episode, I spoke to Ireland's first menopause speaker, Catherine O'Keeffe, about what to expect when the peri-menopause hits and what you can do to help yourself with the journey ahead. How do you know when it's starting? Can and should you stay on the contraceptive pill? Should you consider HRT, do you need to take supplements, and what risks should you keep in mind for the future? What if you have thyroid dysfunction, if you've got PCOS or are suffering from depression? And what on earth is premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)? Catherine helps to answer these questions and more!

You can follow Catherine on Instagram or visit her website for all the latest news. Bits of Me is on Instagram too, as well as on Twitter. If you like the podcast and believe in the mission of keeping these conversations going, there's a Patreon to help cover the running costs. Could you spare a few quid a month and, in return, get early access to episodes, monthly pieces of writing and a Bits of Me badge? If you can't help financially, tagging friends, sharing episodes on your socials, subscribing to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and rating and reviewing it helps a lot too.

Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe.

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