When Jo Menneer was diagnosed with breast cancer, she knew undergoing treatment would be a difficult process. What she did not anticipate was the challenge of navigating the menopause afterwards.
Before her diagnosis in 2022, Jo, now 55, from East Yorkshire, had been taking hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) to manage the menopause.
Part of her treatment included surgery, which meant she had to stop taking HRT, and is still unable to use it.
“For me personally, my menopause symptoms came back with a vengeance almost immediately,” she says.
“As well as recovering from surgery, which is quite gruelling, to then be mixed with hot flushes, aching limbs, brain fog, up and down emotions – I felt like I’d gone back about 10 years.”
According to the NHS, external, menopause is when your periods stop due to lower hormone levels, and symptoms usually begin between the ages of 45 and 55.
However, people can experience menopause earlier or at an increased rate.
This can be brought on by a number of factors, including certain hormone medicines, ovarian surgery or treatment for some types of cancer.
Chemotherapy, pelvic radiotherapy, stem cell transplantation and surgery can all trigger menopause, on a temporary or permanent basis.
Jo and others say they were not prepared for this aspect of their treatment’s side effects, and are calling for greater awareness and support to be made available.
“You’re battling at the time with the diagnosis and the treatment and the surgery and how that’s going to impact you,” Jo explains.
“I never in my life thought that it would impact my menopause and it was never discussed. So it was a bit of a shock.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said its National Cancer Plan would ensure patients had a personalised plan “so the long-term effects of treatment, including menopause, are recognised and built into their ongoing care”.
Jo volunteers with Menopause and Cancer, a non-profit which advocates for accessible services for patients navigating the menopause after cancer.
She helps to run a support group in York, and calls it “life-changing and life-affirming in the same breath” to find a community of others in a similar position.
“You suddenly find this pocket of people that you can completely relate to.
“Because I didn’t have a great experience, I feel I can support those that are in an earlier stage than me, so that they get the support even if I didn’t.”
Any information offered should be available from the start of someone’s treatment journey and tailored to each individual, she adds.
“Everyone’s experience with menopause is different.
“Having a toolkit signposting services that could be relevant for you and then you are empowered to pick the ones that suit you, that would be the perfect scenario.”
