Please can I get some information from ladies who went through surgical menopause in their 30s or 40s? What were your symptoms, and how severe were they? Did you find any treatments that helped manage them without HRT?
I’m having a full hysterectomy in a couple of days, and I’ve been advised that HRT will not be an option for my type of cancer.
I’ve read a lot about vaginal atrophy and the severity of surgical menopause symptoms. I have a partner, and I’m also worried about how these changes might affect intimacy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Violet41
I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
I hope that your hysterectomy goes well. I had my hysterectomy in 2022 for endometrial cancer. Although it is a big thing to go through, I did find the surgery fairly straightforward and I recovered well from it.
Although I am older than you, I did ask about HRT but was told that it was not suitable as my cancer was a hormone positive one. I was told that there were potentially some other options though if I did have troubling symptoms. So if you do get more severe symptoms- there are things that can help. There are for eg; non hormonal vaginal moisturisers that can be prescribed.
We do sometimes have younger ladies in the Womb group who have been through a surgical menopause so it may be worth having a look at some of their previous posts.
It is also well worth having a chat with your own CNS as I have found mine really supportive for any worries.
We do have an Ask the Expert section where you could ask one of the nurses about surgical menopause.
(+) Ask a Nurse | Get answers about cancer | Macmillan Online Community
I wish you well for your surgery and if there is anything you need, please do ask.
Jane
