Sudden onset menopause from hysterectomy — many of the same symptoms as the menopausal transition.
Here we share an opinion piece from the Guardian written by Diane Danzebrink. In it, she shares her experience of sudden onset menopause after a hysterectomy. Many of her symptoms will sound very familiar to women in the menopause transition. And, no one warned her. There was only a suggestion post-surgery to check in with her GP. Incredible, but not surprising!
Spurred by her own experience, she now counsels women, founded Menopause Support UK, launched the #MakeMenopauseMatter campaign and got the topic of menopause integrated into the relationships and sex education (RSE) curriculum in secondary education. Way to go, Diane!
Quotes from the piece:
I was struggling to sleep, was constantly anxious and irrational, and felt that I had become useless, hopeless and worthless.
Historically, menopause has not been talked about openly and is not formally taught to women or men, so how the hell are any of us supposed to know what’s going on when the early stages, termed perimenopause, arrive, often in our early 40s?
GPs, the gatekeepers to accessing the right care, still don’t receive mandatory training in menopause, which makes no sense.
Find other common symptoms of the menopause transition here and the biology that produces them here.
And one more quote for those that don’t have time to read.
All those sleepless nights were not wasted. I uncovered a world I knew nothing about: thousands of women online at all hours who, like me, were desperately searching for others who felt like they were going mad.
