I went to ESHRE 2026. I fell over within ten minutes. Here's what I learnt.
I walked into ESHRE 2026 ready to take on a whole new challenge.
I'd somehow managed to get a media pass, packed my 360 tripod, grabbed a notebook and convinced myself I belonged there…
Within ten minutes, I'd fallen flat on my face. Literally.
Not exactly the confident entrance I'd imagined, but welcome to my first international fertility conference.
If you've never heard of ESHRE, don't worry, neither had most of my friends. It's one of the biggest reproductive medicine conferences in the world, bringing together thousands of doctors, researchers, embryologists, nurses and patient advocates to share the latest research and ideas.
Then there was me.
A woman from the Midlands with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency, a slight caffeine addiction, and a constant fear that someone was about to ask if I'd accidentally wandered into the wrong conference. (Imposter syndrome? Through the roof)
Every time someone asked, "So, what do you do?" my brain completely froze.
Designer? Volunteer? Patient advocate? Media? Woman with broken ovaries who talks about them far more than most people would?
The answer was usually a slightly awkward combination of all of the above.
But here's the thing.
The reason I was there wasn't because I have a PhD or spend my days in a laboratory.
I was there because I live with POI.
Because I know what it's like to be diagnosed as a teenager.
To leave appointments with more questions than answers.
To spend years wondering why nobody seems to understand what this condition actually does to your life.
And I had the honour of representing the Daisy Network, to find out whether things are finally changing.
Spoiler alert... I think they are. But not overnight!
Not with some miracle cure announced from a stage but there was something I noticed almost immediately.
Nobody was pretending POI is "just menopause."
POI isn't only about fertility, it's about losing confidence in your own body. It's about worrying about your bones, your heart and your future. It's about relationships, careers, mental health and trying to explain to people why you feel completely different from everyone your own age.
Hearing researchers and clinicians recognise that felt validating.
For years, women with POI have been saying the same things.
We need earlier diagnosis.
We need better information.
We need healthcare professionals to stop telling us we're "too young."
We need emotional support as well as hormone replacement.
It finally feels like people are listening but there is still a gap. Between what ‘should be done’ and what is being done for diagnosing, further testing and treatments for POI.
Now, I'll be honest. Did I understand every graph?
Absolutely not.
But that's okay. I wasn't there to become a doctor. I was there to translate some of these conversations into something women with POI can actually understand. Because research means very little if it never leaves the conference hall.
Some of my favourite moments weren't even during the presentations.
They were the conversations over coffee, as we sat with professionals, doctors and POI advocates sharing stories, and having a conversation that will truly lead to change.
There isn't a cure for POI yet (as much as I wish there was)
Women are still being diagnosed far too late.
Too many of us are still dismissed or misunderstood.
But there are hundreds of people dedicating their lives to changing that. Filling up the theatre to learn the latest guidelines for women like us. Listening to patient voices to initiate the much needed change.
And for the first time in a long time, I came home believing that the future might look a little different.
I left London with sore feet, a bruised knee, an overflowing notebook, far too many ideas of changing the world, and a huge sense of hope.
You can read my overview and further details on my time at ESHRE 2026 on the Daisy Network website - https://daisynetwork.org/eshre-2026-hope-honesty-and-the-future-of-poi-care/
