What it’s like to be in menopause in your 20s & 30s (audience callers)

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, hormone replacement therapy, 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. RESOLVE Infertility Support Groups: https://resolve.org/get-help/support-groups/ Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX  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.  Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod  Find Lucie here:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink Website: https://luciefink.com/  Executive Producer: Cloud10 Produced by Dear Media. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices