My story began 2 years ago, when my Doctor confirmed to me that without my knowing, my body had gone into premature menopause (or Premature Ovarian Insufficiency - POI) 2 years earlier, at  the age of 23. Looking back, I had shown all the signs - awful night sweats, hot flushes, depression, fatigue, weight gain...but my contraception had masked the fact that my ovaries had shut down and I was no longer naturally menstruating. At the time, I explained these symptoms away as work stress and would never have imagined what the truth really was.

The last 2 years have been the hardest time I have ever gone through in life - the shock made worse by the fact that there was nothing I could do, no identifiable cause, and as my consultant matter of factly told me, "I would never have children of my own so the quicker you get over it the better". Added to this, I was offered no support or counselling through the NHS, given no information to help me understand, or any choice relating to my treatment. 

Since then, I have had to pay a substantial amount of money to fund my own therapy, paid extortionate prescription charges for Hormone Replacement Therapy  (which I will need for the next 25 years), and come up against constant insensitivity from medical professionals who should know better.

If I hadn't discovered the Daisy Network, I would literally have found no information on the condition. I have been searching for answers all this time, and sadly, there is a severe lack of research behind POI, so all I could find were resources that were aimed at naturally menopausal women in their 50s, which didn't speak to me about my experience at all. I didn't know that 1 in 100 women under 40, 1 in 1000 under 30, and 1 in 10,000 under 20 (about 5% of the female population) experience spontaneous POI.

POI is a "silent illness" - no one knows by looking at you that you have got it. Compounded by the fact there is a huge stigma attached to discussing infertility, women with POI can feel extremely isolated, suffer from low self esteem, and feel a sense of shame in discussing it openly; this makes it so much harder to ask for help when we are struggling. Thanks to Daisy Network, I have finally found a support group of women like me who I can talk to - about all the things that affect us  - physical side effects of POI (such as bone loss, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms) as well as the myriad of psychological ones (depression, anxiety, a sense we no longer "fit in with our peers, and facing the prospect of a childless future, or a long battle with fertility treatment/adoption). Through Daisy, I have also been able to educate myself about the condition, the health implications, and more importantly, my choices for my future. I am incredibly grateful for this little known charity which has saved me and many others from our "rock bottom".

I want to raise money for Daisy Network to :

- Help them fund research, set up more support groups, and increase their reach

- Raise awareness of POI and infertility

- Reduce the stigma associated with openly discussing POI and infertility 

- Help people and medical professionals understand what is and isn't helpful for someone suffering with POI

- Encourage my friends and family to be aware of the signs and symptoms, for themselves, or loved ones

Throughout September, I will be fundraising by tapping into my love for cross stitch! I will be:

* Stitching a daisy a day 

* Sending daisies to 30 of my female friends and family to raise awareness

* Posting daily Facebook mini blogs on POI issues

* Offering private message support for anyone who would like to know more about POI or access help

I would be really grateful for any donations to this wonderful charity - and would be more than happy for anyone to contact me who would lik more information.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.