The Daisy Diaries

Hey Beth here, I’m the social media manager for Daisy Network and was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency almost 13 years ago, when I was 15 years old. As part of our new “Daisy Diaries” series, I will be sharing my life and diary entries via this page and our social media in hope that with sharing my own journey with POI and everything surrounding it, I can help others to feel less alone in their own journeys.

08/03/2023

“Hey everyone, Beth here! As most of you know, I was diagnosed with POI, 13 years ago, when I was 15 years old. Since then, I’ve been on a rollercoaster journey trying to receive the medical treatment I deserve and finally in 2022 after having to change doctors and fight to be heard, I was given HRT and started my journey with that. It’s been a very difficult few months and with never really knowing what the “normal” was for a 27 year old, normal to me was hot flushes and everything that came along with POI, so starting HRT made me feel like a completely different person. I’ve been period free for 12 years and to start getting them again due to the HRT, honestly, I hated it. HRT is a journey in itself, and it takes a long time to get it right, something that I’ve definitely experienced over the last few months. With irregular and what felt like constant bleeding, becoming over emotional and confused, I was frustrated and though I completely understand the benefits and importance of HRT for women with POI, all I wanted to do was give up on it and did briefly. My mental health surrounding HRT and my diagnosis was completely shot and it took speaking to my doctor and the Daisy Network volunteers and members to finally recentre and feel ready to try my new HRT.

Over the 13 years since my diagnosis, I was left with no self-love, resenting my body and what the diagnosis had caused, and it has taken me a long time to realise that though this POI journey is never one that I wanted to be on, it has given me and taught me so much. Without it I would never have found the most incredible community. I was angry for so long, wondering why me, but the self-blame and anger is slowly fading and though some days are still difficult, I know I’m stronger, and have an incredible amount of support behind me. My HRT journey is still continuing and I’m taking every day at a time, knowing that one day it will be right and I’ll look back over this time and be proud of myself for keeping going. – Beth”