In this episode of Let's Talk OCD, Natalia Aíza, founder of Kairos Wellness Collective, interviews Louise Nolan on her research how the menstrual cycle influences OCD.

Louise Nolan is Trainee Clinical Psychologist in her final year of the Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. On top of her research, she works clinically in the NHS. Prior to this, she completed her masters and undergraduate degree at University College London (UCL). Louise has a strong interest in how the menstrual cycle influences mental health, in particular around the exacerbation of existing mental health difficulties during the premenstrual phase (known as Premenstrual Exacerbation/PME). She has published a systematic review ‘Premenstrual exacerbation of mental health disorders: a systematic review of prospective studies (Nolan & Hughes, 2022)’ in the Archives of Women’s Mental Health. This highlighted the lack of research exploring how the menstrual cycle influences OCD and since then, she has endeavoured to progress understanding in the area.