06 May 2026
GSM - The issue affecting 84% of menopausal women | Dr Iona Weir
Grey Areas with Petra Bagust
About
Most conversations about menopause cover hot flushes, brain fog, and sleep. Far fewer talk about what's happening below the waist, and for up to 84% of women, that silence comes at a real cost.
Dr Iona Weir is a cell biologist, inventor, and founder of biotech company Myregyna®. Her life's work centres on apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death, and specifically how compounds found in plants can reverse it. After decades developing pharmaceuticals and skincare, she turned her science towards one of the most underserved areas in women's health: genital urinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM.
In this kōrero, Petra and Iona unpack what GSM actually is, and why it's so much more than vaginal dryness. From thinning urethral tissue and recurring UTIs to bladder urgency and prolapse risk, the downstream effects of declining oestrogen on this whole system are significant, under-diagnosed, and largely preventable. Iona explains the science of what's happening at a cellular level, what women can do to get ahead of it, and why pelvic floor health is one of the most important investments a woman in midlife can make.
They also get into Iona's remarkable origin story, from being the first person in the world to suggest apoptosis occurs in plants, to an outrageously creative work around to secure her PhD funding, to becoming one of New Zealand's few female biotech founders. At nearly 60, she's heading to BTS in Paris, going to ABBA Voyage in London, and is actively working on securing approval from the US FDA.
This episode also takes an honest look at the wellness and supplement industry from someone who has spent her career inside it. Iona's advice? Skip the vitamin cabinet. Eat the salmon cracker platter. Rotate your supplements. And stop spending money on treatments that will thin your skin now and leave you looking worse at 80.
This episode contains discussion of pelvic floor health, vaginal atrophy, UTIs, and sexual function.
Listen to the pelvic floor health episode we referenced in this episode: It's time we talked about our pelvic floors | Tania McLean + Melissa Davidson
Support the show: greyareas.nz/support
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr Iona Weir is a cell biologist, inventor, and founder of biotech company Myregyna®. Her life's work centres on apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death, and specifically how compounds found in plants can reverse it. After decades developing pharmaceuticals and skincare, she turned her science towards one of the most underserved areas in women's health: genital urinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM.
In this kōrero, Petra and Iona unpack what GSM actually is, and why it's so much more than vaginal dryness. From thinning urethral tissue and recurring UTIs to bladder urgency and prolapse risk, the downstream effects of declining oestrogen on this whole system are significant, under-diagnosed, and largely preventable. Iona explains the science of what's happening at a cellular level, what women can do to get ahead of it, and why pelvic floor health is one of the most important investments a woman in midlife can make.
They also get into Iona's remarkable origin story, from being the first person in the world to suggest apoptosis occurs in plants, to an outrageously creative work around to secure her PhD funding, to becoming one of New Zealand's few female biotech founders. At nearly 60, she's heading to BTS in Paris, going to ABBA Voyage in London, and is actively working on securing approval from the US FDA.
This episode also takes an honest look at the wellness and supplement industry from someone who has spent her career inside it. Iona's advice? Skip the vitamin cabinet. Eat the salmon cracker platter. Rotate your supplements. And stop spending money on treatments that will thin your skin now and leave you looking worse at 80.
This episode contains discussion of pelvic floor health, vaginal atrophy, UTIs, and sexual function.
Listen to the pelvic floor health episode we referenced in this episode: It's time we talked about our pelvic floors | Tania McLean + Melissa Davidson
Support the show: greyareas.nz/support
Song credit: Korimako, Performed by Aro, Written by Emily Looker and Charles Looker and published by Songbroker.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices