As a person who entered early menopause due to medical reasons, it took many doctors’ appointments to be listened to and be given the option of HRT.
My last bout of surgery when I was 30 pushed me into perimenopause. It took discussions with colleagues who were going through menopause and attending workshops for me to realise that the symptoms I was experiencing wasn’t me losing my mind, not being able to sleep and being unusually hot naturally but was in fact where my body was no longer naturally producing the hormones a woman my age would usually be able to produce.
I had several doctors’ appointments where I was told I was too young for HRT and just accepted this. At the start of this year, I attended a session with the women’s network where a menopause expert delivered a session on menopause awareness, and I decided to give it another try. I contacted my doctor’s surgery to see if they had a menopause specialist and booked an appointment with them. It was an appointment where I finally felt that somebody was listening to me and was prescribed HRT.
After a few months I noticed such a difference in myself. I felt that I was able to hold a conversation fully again without forgetting somebody’s name or a basic word and my sleep was so much better and less interrupted, without my usual 2am-5am episodes of being wide awake.
For me, it’s felt like I feel like myself again. My doctor I now see has been amazing, and during each of my appointments I have with her she has taken the time to read up on cases similar to myself. Having that person who has listened to me and taken the time to tailor my hormone levels really has made such a difference to my life.
