The Fabulous Pharmacist brings her Viva La Vulva tour to Cork

“I OFTEN hear from women with a few kids, who can’t walk more than a couple of metres without wetting themselves and who are resigned to wearing thick pads every day when that needn’t be the case.”

So says straight-talking Laura Dowling, also known as Instagram’s Fabulous Pharmacist, where she has more than 104,000 followers – and growing.

Laura is bringing her live tour, ‘Viva La Vulva’, to Cork next month (February 24) where she promises a women’s health evening like never before.

And far from being hyperbolic, considering this mum-of-three underwent a pelvic exam on Instagram, it’s a certainty she’ll deliver on the night, bringing her engaging social media content to life.

“It’s going to be an evening of humour and education about women’s health – all the things people don’t want to talk about,” said the mum-of-three.

“Things like pelvic floor issues – we know that women are walking around leaking – prolapses, post-partum issues, sex and more,” she said.

Joining her in the Clayton Hotel on Lapps Quay will be a panel of equally remarkable women. They are comedian Kyla Cobbler, women’s pelvic health expert Aoife Harvey, and sex educator Grace Alice O’Shea.

“As well as educational, it’s going to be funny and interactive. We’re going to set up a confession box, inviting ladies to submit confessions or questions which we’ll address from the stage later on,” said Laura.

The event will suit women of all ages, she said, and will start with a drinks reception and also feature dinner and a goodie bag valued at €120, featuring a product from Laura’s supplement brand, Fab U Wellness.

Dubliner Laura worked as a pharmacist for 20 years – and that’s where the seeds were sown for her business Fab U Wellness which she launched last year.

While working as a pharmacist, she routinely sent women to a nearby health shop with a list as long as their arms for products she felt could help them manage perimenopausal symptoms, until she decided to do something herself.

Ultimately, that saw her launch her own range of supplements, which now has six products, including the hugely popular R&R Relax and Shrooms Meno & Peri products.

Not surprisingly, she does have something new in the pipeline that she’s not ready to reveal yet, but her ethos is very much on educating people on her existing products, rather than creating new ones just for the sake of it; and that’s exactly what makes her such a trusted voice in the busy supplements market.

This will be Laura’s first solo show in Cork, and she says she can’t wait.

“I love Cork! I’ve done a lot of corporate events there and I’m really looking forward to meeting women on the night. It’s about getting dressed up, leaving the house and having fun, but also helping each other,” she said.

“There’s not an awful lot of help out there for women. It’s a case of being sent on your way after having babies, doing the squeezy exercises, and that’s it really. Our health system is squeezed, I know, but there’s a real dearth of information out there for women around their health.

“And as well as that, there’s a sense of shame still surrounding the female body, the clitoris, vulva, vagina, that just doesn’t exist for men, and that’s what I want to change,” said Laura.

As we’re at the beginning of a new year, we ask if she makes resolutions?

“No! All that ‘New Year, New You’ I think is absolute bulls*** to be honest.

“What women need to do is to make a resolution to themselves that if something is niggling at them health wise, not to put up and shut up any more, not to leave themselves last, and to get help or information. You’ll benefit and so will your family in the long run.”

As a mum-of-three and CEO of her own business, we wonder where she gets her energy?

“I’ve always been a very energetic person, to be honest. I do prioritise exercise and I eat well, but I also indulge from time to time and I’m a believer in trying everything in moderation.

“But I do take my own supplements... that must be helping!”

Tickets for the Viva La Vulva live tour are priced at €120 and can be purchased at www.fabuwellness.com