The girl who began the menopause at just 15
Student’s anguish that she can’t have children
‘Sometimes feel like a grandma’
AS a seemingly healthy 15-year-old, Sheree Hargreaves was concerned she hadn’t started her periods.
She was stunned when her GP told her it was because she was already going through the menopause – and the process may have begun when she was six.
Sheree was heartbroken to realise it meant she could never have children. Initially she kept it a secret but, now aged 19, she wants to spread awareness of the condition. Sheree, a philosophy and sociology student at York University, says it sometimes makes her feel ‘like a grandma’. She suffers night sweats and even experiences hot flushes during lectures.
Tests when she was 15 showed she has primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), which causes the ovaries to stop working before she is 40.
‘It was completely and utterly earth-shattering to find out that I couldn’t have children when I was still a child myself,’ she said.
‘I’ve always wanted children so looking at my ultrasound and knowing there would never be a child growing in my womb was absolutely heartbreaking. I was most upset because the cause of my POI is unknown – doctors think it’s genetic but they’re not too sure.’
Doctors believe Sheree, from Burnley, began losing her fertility from the age of six. Initially, she struggled to come to terms with her diagnosis, telling only her parents.
‘Lockdown helped me get to the stage in my life where I felt comfortable to tell people,’ she said.
‘It made me want to discuss it more openly. When I was 15 I would have loved to have heard someone spread awareness about early menopause and make it seem like it’s a bit more normal than I thought it was.
‘Girls at a young age should be prepared with some knowledge of infertility options if they find out they can’t get pregnant.’
Around one in 100 women under 40 experience POI. It can be genetic, caused by autoimmune conditions, cancer treatment or surgery but in 90 per cent of cases there is no known cause. The Daisy Network, a charity for POI sufferers, said: ‘The ovaries no longer produce eggs and are unable to produce the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are really important for women’s health and wellbeing. IVF with egg donation is the suggested route to pregnancy.
‘It is also necessary for women to take hormone replacement therapy to support bone, brain and heart health.’