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'I shampooed with raw egg to try and get pregnant'

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CitrixNews Staff
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'I shampooed with raw egg to try and get pregnant'
'I shampooed with raw egg to try and get pregnant'21 minutes agoShareSaveHelen RichardsonNorth East and CumbriaShareSaveBarbora Gray Barbora is standing in front of a wall mural on Tyneside and holding a sign that reads "selfcare tip: regularly check your boobs." She has long blonde hair and is wearing jeans and trainers. Barbora GrayBarbora Gray has set up a social media community to tackle misinformation following her own experiences online

Struggling to fall pregnant, Barbora Gray remembers washing her hair with raw eggs after seeing a post online.

"For the first time, I approached social media from a place of vulnerability" she says. "It wasn't healthy.

"What started as something very innocent, looking at recipes, ended up with me being anxious about everything from shampoo to what I'm washing my dishes with."

The 35-year-old, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, has now launched She Thrives, an online social community to dispel myths, but also to break down taboos about women's health.

The account covers issues like the menopause, mental wellbeing, periods and fertility, and gives women in the North East a "safe space" to find accurate and evidence-based information on women's health.

BBC/Helen Richardson Barbora Gray has long blonde wavy hair. She is smiling and wears a gold necklace.BBC/Helen RichardsonBarbora hopes She Thrives will break down taboos

The mum hopes She Thrives will "transform the way women discuss health".

She says she was inspired to make a difference after reading the Woman of the North report, which was released by Health Equity North in 2024.

It found women living in the North of England were more likely to work longer, face greater ill health and more likely to be victims of domestic violence than women elsewhere.

Barbora, who works in healthcare communications, says she "knew there were people that did have the answers".

BBC/Helen Richardson Dr Gilmore has blonde, shoulder length curly hair. She is wearing a brown and white striped cardigan and white blouse. She is sitting in her consulting room.BBC/Helen RichardsonDr Katherine Gilmore says she sees patients "all the time" who have seen misinformation on social media

She Thrives is being backed by the North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board, The Northern Health Science Alliance and several NHS trusts.

It is also being supported by individual medical professionals working in the region who are concerned about content that women are being influenced by on social media.

Dr Katherine Gilmore, a consultant in community gynaecology and sexual and reproductive healthcare at the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, says she sees patients "all the time" who have seen inaccurate information.

"One of the main barriers to healthcare for women at the moment is time," she explains. "Social media is the perfect place for them to go to, isn't it?"

But she says the downside to that is misinformation.

"You can really tell the patients who are well informed versus the women who have seen lots of scare stories. And it can be a real worry."

BBC/Helen Richardson Kate is wearing gym clothes and has her hair tied in a ponytail. She is wearing pink-rimmed glasses.BBC/Helen RichardsonKate Scott says She Thrives will be beneficial for her daughter and grandchildren

She Thrives is being welcomed by women in the North East.

"When I was going through stuff there was nothing like this there," says Kate Scott, from Hebburn. "What Barbora's doing is going to help my daughter and grandchildren in future."

Sarah McEwan, from Jarrow, is also supportive.

"Women work really hard, bringing up our families, working full-time, so this is highlighting that we should focus on ourselves," she says.

Alison Quinn, also from Jarrow, says: "A lot of my friends have been anxious about things they have read online and I think this is really helpful."

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Related internet links

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Originally reported by BBC News