During the time of diagnosis, Kate and her husband were having fertility treatment, sadly their second IVF cycle using Kate’s eggs had been cancelled due to no response. “Because I was having fertility treatment some of the medication likely masked some of the symptoms of menopause.” It wasn’t until after Kate had stopped the medication used for the treatment that she gradually experienced irregular periods, increased anxiety, fatigue, and low mood.
Even though it wasn't a complete surprise, it was still a shock, “you never think it will happen to you.” Working in an area closely related to her diagnosis, Kate recalled it was an ongoing challenge as “there was a constant reminder of my own individual circumstances.”
For Kate, HRT was a big game changer, once she’d found the right regime that worked for her. HRT won’t be for everyone, but Kate found it helped regulate her hormones, helped with low mood and reduced the anxiety she was feeling. “I saw improvements with memory and associated brain fog [and] once I got my head around my own diagnosis, I also found being open about my limitations such as poor memory really helped in the workplace.”