Cork woman felt like she lost part of herself after going into menopause aged 27 – RSVP Live

Cork woman Jess N Mhaolin was just 27 years old when she went into menopause.

Jess had always had trouble with her periods as a teenager, she would miss days of school because of the debilitating pain.

The first time I remember being in hospital because of my periods, I was about 15, she told RSVP.

The doctors thought it was my appendix. Then they found ovarian cysts on the ultrasound. There was very much the attitude that Id grow out of it.

Read more: Limerick mum says hormone replacement therapy has changed her life after menopause

In her 20s, Jesss symptoms got worse, but she still felt like she wasnt taken seriously by doctors.

I had a consultant tell me to go away and have a baby and that would sort it out, she said. I changed consultants I dont know how many times. A few people said it might be IBS so I tried a low FODMAP diet. That didnt work. I tried natural remedies, I tried yoga, I tried different painkillers. None of it worked.

Around 2017, Jess was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition that causes cells similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside the uterus. She was put on a treatment that put her system to sleep.

In theory, that sounded great, because I wasnt getting periods anymore so I wasnt in pain, admitted Jess.

In reality, it was shutting down my hormone centre. I couldnt regulate my temperature. I was nauseous all the time. I was severely bloated. I was having terrible mood swings.

The next step for Jess was to go through surgical treatment and during this stage, doctors discovered problems with her ovaries. She had to have emergency surgery to have her right ovary removed because there was a growth on it, and her left ovary had stopped working because it was covered in adhesions.

She went to a specialist surgeon in the UK to have treatment on the left ovary but when she was there, she was given some devastating news.

During my scan, the consultant basically stopped what he was doing, sat me down and explained that my left ovary had practically shut down, Jess added.

He asked me if I had suffered menopausal symptoms. I had been experiencing them but Id been through so many operations that I thought it was part of the recovery process.

An hour later, Jesss surgeon gave her her options: but the most practical one was a full hysterectomy.

He gave me some time to think and I remember standing in the middle of Harley Street in London, just crying, she recalled. I had this whole future mapped out in front of me in my head. I thought Id be settled at 30, be buying a house and probably having a baby with someone.

All of a sudden Im 27, in a country that isnt home, being given this devastating news. It was like someone had taken a piece out of my heart that I was never going to get back.

Jess went through with the hysterectomy, but her road hasnt been easy.

Most of my friends are at the age now where they are having their first or second child, or theyre pregnant, she continued.

Im not in a relationship. Part of that is by choice, because I'm married to my job. But part of it is: How do you approach the subject of not being able to have kids with someone? Do you tell them straight away? Do you tell them a few dates in?

Now 30 years old, Jess struggles with the side effects of menopause, but hormone replacement therapy has really helped.

Im on oestrogen and testosterone gel, and it makes such a difference. If I forget to use it or I dont use enough, I would feel towards the end of the day that I would start to get anxious, the brain fog would begin and I would get hot flushes.

My mum is actually going through menopause at the same time as me, so I can talk to her about it which is comforting but also sad.

The Government policy advisor said she is happy to share her story because she wants to help other women.

I thought menopause was something that happened to you when you were maybe 55, when youd had your kids, she said. If I had known that I was having menopausal symptoms before that last scan, maybe I would have had enough time to freeze my eggs. Its hard to know, and I could drive myself mad thinking about it.

Women can get menopause in their 30s for various reasons, so its important to know the symptoms and always advocate for yourself.

Visit The Menopause Hub's website here for more information.

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Cork woman felt like she lost part of herself after going into menopause aged 27 - RSVP Live