I see you, I understand, you are not alone

Riding the roller coaster of Surgical Menopause

I was recently asked what three words I would use to sum up my experience of Surgical Menopause, my answer was ‘An Unexpected Hell’.

So what is Surgical Menopause, why would someone be put in Surgical Menopause, how does it impact your body, how can you manage this condition, how does it affect other conditions? I hope to answer these questions and more through my writing whilst at the same time letting others know that you are not alone. You can do this, we can do this together. I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a blog for some time. A few people have said to me recently that I know a lot, asked me how am I going to share all this knowledge, that I could really help others, which has inspired and encouraged me to start writing.

A bit about me

At the age of 37 I had a Total Hysterectomy and Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (removal of uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries) due to Endometriosis and Adenomyosis. Thankfully, this resolved my extreme daily pelvic pain which I will be forever grateful for. I was, however, in no way prepared for the new nightmare that began in the form of Premature Surgical Menopause.

“You will need to take HRT until you reach 51 years old. There are no increased risks of breast cancer, heart disease, etc. You might experience hot flushes but if you take your HRT you should be ok.

It seemed a bit of a daunting prospect to have to take HRT for the next 14 years but I thought having to take one medication a day was nothing compared to the many I currently had to take! If only it really was that simple!”

“I was also given the impression that I was just going to experience Menopause a lot sooner than I would have done if I hadn’t had my ovaries removed. If only that was the case!”

Yes, I knew surgery would put me straight into Menopause but I had no idea what it would be like or how much of a challenge it would be. Three and a half years on, I am still trying to balance my hormones but I feel closer than I have ever been. Holding onto hope! Saying that though it is and has been a really hard fight and a few times now I’ve been so exhausted that I really didn’t know what to do anymore and thought maybe I just have to live like this. At those times, I have had to dig deep to find my fight and ways to restore my hope. I’ve used quotes and affirmations quite lot over recent years. One of my favourites to remind myself of in tough times is:

“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you’ve come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won and all the fears you have overcome.”

What is Surgical Menopause and how does it differ to Natural Menopause?

From my experience, the difference is often unrecognised and is a barrier in many ways when trying to get the medical help you need. Being in Surgical Menopause can lead to you feeling very alone as it can be hard for others to comprehend the toll it takes on your body. In order to feel better you need to achieve hormone balance but finding this balance and stabilising can be very difficult.

Surgical Menopause is when you have your ovaries surgically removed. Your ovaries are what produce your estrogen, progesterone and testosterone which are necessary to protect your brain, bone, heart and other vital organs and systems within your body. As a result of surgery your body abruptly stops producing these hormones; menopausal symptoms can be instant and more severe than when your body naturally goes through Menopause. When you go through Natural Menopause, your hormone production will gradually lessen over time as your body progresses though three stages — Perimenopause, Menopause and Post Menopause, over a period of years and you will always produce low levels of hormones.

Surgical Menopause is a chronic health condition; it is likely that you will experience some menopausal symptoms for the rest of your life but with the right care it can be managed.

If you can use HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), it is strongly recommended that you do, at least until the age of natural Menopause to protect your body. Often ladies use HRT passed the age of natural Menopause to help manage symptoms and achieve a good quality of life. For those ladies who cant take HRT this can be more challenging but there are other options to help with menopausal symptoms including phytoestrogens which are plant type estrogens, vitamin/mineral supplements and SSRI anti-depressants which can help with hot flushes.

It is not a one size fits all though. With both HRT and non HRT options it is a matter of trying to find what works for you. In terms of HRT, you need to identify what level and combination of hormones you need to feel better. This is often referred to as achieving hormone balance. Please be aware that it can be a lot of trial and error to reach this stage. You need to find what strength, preparation and what combination of hormones works best for you. Ladies who go into menopause under the age of 40 (Premature Menopause) or between the age of 40–45 (Early Menopause) will often need higher doses of HRT to manage their symptoms. Everyone’s body is different, what works for one, wont necessarily work for another. Some ladies find their balance quite quickly for others it takes a lot longer as so many factors can come into play. One thing that has really helped me on is to keep a daily symptom diary. There are many options out there — Menopause Support and Menopause Doctor both have free symptom trackers on their websites. Alternatively, you can create your own on a excel spreadsheet which I did for a long time and it worked well for me. More recently, I have been trying out a new, free, Menopause app called Caria. You can log symptoms daily, add notes and you can look back easily at your symptom history and export data to your email or to pdf to take to your GP/specialist. More tips next time.

Coming up on future blogs

• How to get the right help including barriers you may face and tips to overcome these
• Key hormones in Surgical Menopause, how they interact and their impact on other hormones in our Endocrine system.
• Endometriosis & Adenomyosis

Please do share any comments, thoughts, questions you have.

You can find me on Instagram and Twitter as PremSurMeno