"I'm in my 20s and going through menopause." (Audience callers) | The Real Stuff

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Today on The Real Stuff, we’re sharing two incredibly raw and powerful stories about navigating early menopause and fertility struggles at a young age. First, Katie opens up about being diagnosed with early menopause in her early 30s, right as she began the egg freezing process. After months of missed periods and three failed egg retrieval attempts, Katie was forced to grieve the future she thought she would have, all while grappling with hormonal replacement therapy, financial strain, and dating fears.

Next, we hear from Mackenzie, who was diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) at just 22 years old, two days after graduating from college. Her twenties have been consumed with fertility preservation, navigating over a dozen egg retrieval cycles, and leading a support group for others with rare reproductive health conditions.

Together, Katie and Mackenzie share the emotional, physical, financial, and social toll of infertility diagnoses in their 20s and 30s. We discuss egg freezing, fertility preservation, perimenopause, reproductive health, the emotional impact on dating and friendships, advocating for yourself with doctors, and the silent grief that often accompanies fertility challenges.

Whether you're thinking about egg freezing, curious about hormonal health after birth control, or simply want to better understand the realities of young women facing early menopause, this episode is an eye-opening and deeply empathetic conversation you won't want to miss.

Any mention in this video of clinical trials, health insurance, or medical information is purely for informational purposes in the telling of one person's story. Nothing in this video constitutes medical advice.

RESOLVE Infertility Support Groups:


00:00 introducing the audience callers
01:27 Katie’s early menopause diagnosis at 32
06:10 grieving the future she imagined
11:19 multiple failed egg freezing attempts
16:50 navigating fertility grief and family pressure
24:07 deciding to end the egg freezing journey
28:06 starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
30:43 dating and infertility as a single woman
34:07 why Katie wanted to share her story
37:03 Mackenzie’s diagnosis at 22
42:25 facing fertility struggles in her early 20s
45:26 12 egg retrieval cycles to freeze 5 eggs
50:20 the emotional and financial toll of treatment
54:02 building community through a support group
59:39 funding fertility preservation after college
01:01:25 Mackenzie’s message to women about fertility
01:02:49 Lucie’s closing thoughts

To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.

I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.

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