The Final Push Before the Diagnosis

I'd finally found a doctor who looked at me as a whole and listened. My oestrogen was too high for me to be in menopause, he told me, and I was buzzing.

Then came earthing sheets, immunology tests, more food restrictions, gratitude journals, affirmations, and doubled supplements. The relentless optimism and continually picking myself up.

In this episode:

🍄 Houri's recommendation: medicinal mushrooms and Dr. Trevor Wing

✨ "Your estrogen would be on the floor if you were in menopause"

🩺 Immunology blood tests and the NHS runaround

🥛 "You're allergic to dairy" - eating gets harder again

😭 Happy to be weepy at Christmas commercials (the medication was working!)

📝 Gratitude journals, affirmations, yoga - the full mindset work

📚 Reading Fearlessly Fertile and going all in

❓ Dr. Wing's gentle question: "Do you want to start thinking about egg donation?"

💪 "I wanted one more try with my bowels in good shape"

🌍 Earthing sheets and the long list of optimisation

🍽️ Food stress hitting its peak - obsessed with everything I ate

💉 To vaccinate or not to vaccinate during fertility treatment

🎫 Turning down VIP Royal Blood tickets to avoid COVID risk

🏥 May, June, July - ovaries still quiet, still quiet, still quiet

📋 August diagnosis: Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)

🤔 "Most doctors wouldn't class it as POF... because I was in my 40s"

💔 The mistake I realised just after my 43rd birthday

The brutal truth? Relentless positivity is exhausting. Doing everything "right" while your body refuses to cooperate. The lack of control. The food obsession. Still not being done even when you get the diagnosis.

📖 READ THE FULL CHAPTER: https://3amthoughts.me/2026/01/28/chapter-ten-mushrooms-mindset-and-pof/

🎙️ LISTEN ON PODCAST: https://bit.ly/3amThoughtspodcast

⏮️ PREVIOUS CHAPTER: The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back [Link]

⏭️ NEXT CHAPTER: Donor Eggs coming soon

🏠 START FROM THE BEGINNING: Introduction https://youtu.be/ZhZ4TDsj9Lk

🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly chapters following my journey from toilet panic to 3AM peace.

💬 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Have you experienced relentless positivity becoming exhausting?

Have you done "everything right" while your body refused to cooperate?

Has food stress or optimisation become obsessive on your journey?

Did you face the COVID vaccine decision during fertility treatment?

Have you been told you're "too old" for a diagnosis that doesn't have an age limit?

How do you cope with a lack of control in fertility treatment?

Have you worked on your mindset while your ovaries stayed quiet?

What does "doing everything in your power" look like for you?

This is a safe space. Share your story. The exhaustion of relentless positivity is real.

⚠️ CONTENT NOTE: This episode discusses POF diagnosis, age prejudice in medical diagnosis, the exhaustion of relentless positivity, food anxiety becoming obsessive, lack of control during COVID restrictions, vaccine hesitancy during fertility treatment, repeated disappointment when ovaries stay quiet, and discovering a mistake that affected IVF outcomes. Please take care while watching.

WHAT'S COMING IN CHAPTER 11:

The vaccination decision I finally made

Searching for an IVF clinic and the pay-to-play system

Realising what killed my cycle (but it's not over)

Research into forcing cycles vs. waiting

Grafting onto ovaries - a new frontier

My trial with laser and electro-acupuncture

Home estrogen tests and the decision to stop

Christmas in Sicily and COVID drama

Etna decides to interfere with travel plans

Getting denied boarding

Finding our donor

ABOUT THIS SERIES:

From toilet panic to 3AM peace - this is my unfiltered journey through five years of IBD, fertility struggles, premature ovarian failure, and becoming a mother through donor eggs. No filters. No AI polish. Just the exhausting, obsessive, hopeful truth about relentless positivity when your ovaries stay stubbornly quiet and you're not ready to give up.

Your voice deserves to be heard. Always.

📧 CONTACT: [email protected]

📱 CONNECT: Insta - @my_3_amthoughts

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES:

This is a space for support, shared experiences, and honest conversation about the exhaustion of doing everything "right" on a fertility journey. Be kind. Be respectful. Share your truth. No judgment about how far you go, how much you optimise, or when you decide enough is enough. Just understanding and support.

DISCLAIMER: This content shares my personal health, fertility, and emotional journey and is not medical advice. Decisions about vaccination, supplements, fertility treatments, and optimisation strategies are deeply personal. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about your own fertility treatment, mental health, and medical decisions. I have deep respect for medical professionals - this is about sharing my lived experience, including the moments when age prejudice affected diagnosis criteria and when relentless positivity became exhausting.