Early Menopause Contacts

Victoria

The Jean Hailes Medical Centre
173 Carinish Road,  Clayton, Victoria 3168. 
Telephone: 03 9562 7555 

The Jean Hailes Medical Centre

A Personal Story

My story is...I was 28 years old. I already had two beautiful children, one of each. So I guess in a way, you could say I was lucky!

The trouble started when I tried and I tried... and again tried to fall pregnant for what I thought would be the final last time. Looking back it was a very frustrating time for all.

I had missed periods, so off I went to do a home pregnancy test only to come up negative. Then off to the doctor convinced that 'this time I must be pregnant', only to have my doctor put it (missed period) down to stress and it will happen when it happens.

Needless to say this went on for some months. Then there was the depression, mood swings and hot flushes - my god! I started to see a councilor who thought I had post natal depression. After all, my little girl was only two years old and a handful at that. We put the hot flushes down to anxiety attacks.

By this stage I was in severe depression and felt totally out of control. I went on antidepressants for a while but that wasn't really my thing.

Close to one year after I had my very first symptoms, I was diagnosed with early menopause at the age of 28. The youngest age my doctor had seen personally.

I still find it difficult to talk about. You could say embarrassing and ashamed leap to mind. But as I mentioned earlier, I do realise I am one of the lucky ones because I was able to have two beautiful children. If I'd left it a few years later, then I might not be so lucky.

All the same you still can't help feeling a little bit cheated and envious when sitting with the kindy mums having a coffee and the conversation goes like this, “I’m going to have another one when Tommy goes to pre-school, what about you?”

I just smile and reply, “No more for me”.

“Karen”
30 years
Western Australia

Content updated July 05, 2005