It should be talked about more. It just helps to know that you are not alone
Joyce Cameron began to experience the symptoms of the menopause at just 25, but it took 13 years for her to be diagnosed.
“I think as I was so young, nobody suspected the menopause,” Joyce said. “And the fact nobody talked about it meant even I didn’t know enough to work it out.”
Mum-of-two Joyce, from Glasgow, began experiencing hot flushes shortly after the arrival of her second son, David, now 36. “I assumed it was my body and hormones getting back to normal after having a baby,” the 61-year-old said.
“But then I noticed other things. I became very temperamental and then the night sweats started. I’d have to get up and change my pyjamas and sheets several times a night.
“I kept going to the doctor and being told it was ‘women’s trouble’.” Joyce added: “I eventually got sterilised as I thought it would help. But things didn’t get any better. It was hard. I still had to be a mum and continue working, even though some days all I wanted to do was hide.” Eventually, at the age of 38, Joyce saw a different doctor, who diagnosed early menopause.
The shop assistant said: “I remember her saying, ‘You shouldn’t be suffering like this.’
“She said it was probably best I have a hysterectomy, and then start some hormone replacement therapy (HRT). “But that was a challenge, too. It took a while to find one that worked. “Eventually I had an HRT implant in my stomach.
“And it made work – and life – so much easier.”
Joyce added: “Things could have been easier if it was something that was talked about and accepted more. “Women don’t understand what’s happening to their bodies. It’s a strange feeling.
“But being open about it at least lets you know you’re not alone.”