Good nutrition is vital for all humans at all stages of life but is especially important for women. During the reproductive years, women may have increased nutritional demands due to periods, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Many illnesses and long-term conditions affect women more frequently than men, such as migraine, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and Long Covid. Onset or worsening of these conditions is often in the years between puberty and menopause. Nutrient insufficiencies and deficiencies can lead to or exacerbate health issues, and these may be overlooked in some healthcare settings.

Lisa Jamieson has been a pharmacist for over 30 years, has a clinical pharmacy MSc, a nutritional medicine MSc, and has personal experience of managing several long-term conditions with a nutritional approach. She is now on a mission to try to educate others about how we can use nutrition to improve health outcomes and reduce the need for medication.

• This talk will explore:
• -how nutrition affects health and how dietary factors may contribute to some symptoms experienced by women during the reproductive years
• -how a targeted nutritional approach to managing gut health and micronutrient insufficiency and deficiency symptoms may help to optimise health during the reproductive years, perimenopause and menopause