My Girls Gynae is an informative website and set of courses giving advice to parents of teenage girls – and to girls themselves – around periods, contraception and general wellbeing …
Watercolour illustration by Amy McDonnell @amymc_art.
Yoga teacher and ayurvedic practitioner Paula Herbert and consultant gynaecologist Geraldine Connolly, who specialises in children and adolescence, have set up My Girls Gynae. It’s an informative website and set of courses giving advice to parents of teenage girls – and to girls themselves – around periods, contraception and general wellbeing, with the dual focus of medical and holistic viewpoints. There’s an online learning platform, where you can access videos and workshops, via subscription, which offer lots of easily accessible information.
Connolly set up the first specialised clinics for girls with gynae issue in Ireland. As she worked there, she realised that “there is a big gap in the knowledge of what is normal and what is concerning when it comes to our girls’ gynae health. It became increasingly apparent that treating the medical issue independent of the lifestyle of the girl was not working, and this has brought me to my collaboration with Paula.”
The team also run workshops and events (at YogaVeda Living, in Blackrock, Co Dublin), particularly for mothers/carers of young girls aged 11-16, focusing on puberty, diet and lifestyle and adolescent gynaecology. Schools can book workshops, too. The focus is on Ayurveda, the ancient Indian philosophy that’s dedicated to the prevention of illness and natural antidotes to stress.
For Paula, My Girls Gynae is all about “educating young girls on the importance of diet, lifestyle, self-care and stress management, to help them create a solid foundation for health going forward.” It’s a positive resource designed to empower girls and young women, in a real way, rather than an all-pink Barbie way, arming them with information and research. Workshops aim to instil the importance of exercise in dealing with any period problems, for example, and generally help adolescents and girls hitting puberty to adopt healthy habits and mindsets from a young age.
Paula also runs long-established and respected yoga classes and retreats – see www.yogavedaliving.com for more. NB She has many female clients who are struggling with hormonal imbalance; young girls are not the only ones who need help and advice when it comes to hormones and hormonal changes.
Learn more at www.mygirlsgynae.com.
