"Menopause" premature menopause faced by the younger generation Even in breast cancer treatment ... Oct 10 at 19:19
Menopause is a period of various symptoms such as "hot flashes" such as hot flashes and sweating, stiff shoulders, headaches, and insomnia.
Before and after menopause, women aged 45~55 years old often experience painful symptoms in that generation.
However, there are cases where younger people face these problems in their 20s and 30s.
(Rin Ichino, Director, Social Program Department, News Bureau, Shie Kanazawa, Network News Department)
The cause of the disorder that I did not understand
Yuriko Chikusa, a 35-year-old weather forecaster, experienced menopause in her 20s.
I first felt a change in my physical condition when I was 24 years old. My period was delayed by 3 months, so I visited a nearby obstetrician and gynecologist.
When asked about her plans to get married and have children, she replied, "Not right away," she was told, "Let's get your period with the pill and see how it goes."
At that time, I was only in my second year at a company in Tokyo, so I thought it was the stress of work that I was not used to.
After that, every time my period stopped, I had the gynecologist prescribe pills, but the clinics I visited every time were different because I was busy. He said he didn't have a family gynecologist.
With irregular menstruation not improving, Chikusa began working as a weather forecaster at NHK Aomori Broadcasting Station at the age of 2.
This time I began to suffer from sudden hot flashes and low mood.
"Even when I was preparing to perform, it suddenly became hot, and I was sweating alone during meetings. I wonder if I'm not good at regulating my body temperature constitutionally, or if it's stress. I don't know why, so I wanted to find out as soon as possible."
The first time I heard of "premature menopause"
I thought, "This is strange," and when I went to the gynecologist for a second opinion, I did a blood test, and it was diagnosed as "premature menopause".
It had been 5 years and 2 months since I first visited the gynecologist for irregular menstruation.
"I felt like I had never heard such a word before, and I couldn't accept it myself, but on the other hand, I felt like I finally understood the cause."
In my diary, I wrote about my feelings at that time.
"I came to the conclusion that I came to after changing hospitals many times, and I thought that if I knew about it early, I would be able to treat it," she said,
"It seems that it is difficult to have my own child. I don't know yet."
"Menopause" even in the younger generation?
It is said that women are born with about 200 million primitive follicles, which are the source of eggs.
With age, eggs gradually disappear, and around the age of 50, menstruation disappears, "menopause" is reached. With a sharp decrease in female hormones before and after that, menopausal symptoms appear.
However, in the case of people with "premature menopause" like Chikusa, the speed of congenital egg loss is faster than usual for various reasons, and they experience menopause in their 20s and 30s.
Immediately after receiving her diagnosis, Chikusa began treatment to compensate for the rapidly declining female hormones, and her symptoms improved.
However, due to the extremely small number of eggs, I was told that there were no medical institutions in the prefecture where fertility treatment could be received. I had to go to a specialized clinic, and one year later, I moved to Tokyo.
Disorders experienced by treatment
On the other hand, there are cases where people face symptoms like menopause as they treat their diseases.
Ayano Kimura (pseudonym, 35), who lives in Nagano Prefecture, works as a healthcare worker while raising two children, ages 7 and 4.
I had surgery for breast cancer in April last year and have been undergoing hormone treatment ever since.
Two or three days after the start of treatment, I had a "hot flash" in which my body became dry and sweaty.
"Sweat starts pouring out, and when it's over, sweat seeps into my back and I get chilled several times a day."
In order to prevent the recurrence of breast cancer, Ms. Kimura takes medication once a day to suppress the secretion and function of hormones, and also receives abdominal injections once every six months.
This kind of treatment is called "pseudomenopause therapy" and artificially lowers female hormones to create a menopausal-like state.
Because female hormones can cause cancer cells to grow.
Dr. Kimura has been undergoing this treatment for 10 years, and although it has been one and a half years since he started, he also has symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and joint pain in his hands on a daily basis.
In addition, he says that he becomes forgetful, has a vague memory loss, and does not think about studying for qualifications that he started between work and raising children, and doctors say that this is also associated with hormone treatment.
Hurdles to communicate to others
Even at the hospital where he works, these symptoms may appear while working, but it is difficult to take time off even if it is hard.
Although I have confided in some people, I find it difficult to convey my physical condition.
It's hard to explain why people in their 30s have menopause-like symptoms, and they also need to talk about having experienced breast cancer.
"When I tell a colleague who knows about the disease that I have menopausal symptoms, they say something like, 'See you again! It's the same among healthcare professionals.
My appearance hasn't changed that much, so if I don't tell you, you won't know that I have breast cancer. When I talk about cancer, everyone is very surprised and I think it's quite shocking, so I thought I had to choose someone I could talk to in detail."
Difficulty in coping due to treatment
What further bothers Kimura is that it is difficult to alleviate his symptoms.
Symptoms of menopause include "hormone replacement therapy" to increase the amount of hormones, but in the case of Mr. Kimura, hormones need to be suppressed to reduce the risk of recurrence.
He has tried several herbal medicines, but Kimura has not been able to feel any improvement in his symptoms.
He has visited a number of clinics, including orthopedics and psychosomatic medicine, but he says that he has no choice but to continue his life while cheating with symptomatic treatment.
"If it were true, hormone replacement therapy would relieve the situation, but the doctor told me that I couldn't do that because if I did that, it would recur. I want people around me to know that the surgery is not the end."
I want you to notice it as soon as possible
Chikusa experienced menopause in her 20s due to early menopause.
I tried fertility treatment at a specialized clinic in Tokyo, but it did not lead to egg retrieval, and five years ago, when I turned 29, I decided to give up having children.
It was difficult to accept it, but with the support of the people around him, he gradually began to look forward.
Last year, she announced that she had "premature menopause" and began talking about her experiences on blogs and in the media.
We believe that spreading understanding of early menopause throughout society will help those who are struggling alone.
"Right now, I'm thinking positively about life without children, but I still regret that if I had the correct knowledge and proactively chosen a hospital when my irregular menstruation began, the results of fertility treatment might have been different.
Comprehensive health management and early consultation
We asked Koichi Terauchi, a professor at Tokyo Medical and Dental University who is familiar with menopause, how to deal with menopause and similar symptoms experienced by the younger generation.
《About premature menopause》
"In addition to having menstrual irregularities, the function of the ovaries is very low, while the level of hormones emitted by the pituitary gland, which stimulates the ovaries, is high. It is important to communicate with the medical side about the cause and formulate a treatment plan."
"Hormone treatment methods that artificially create menopause may be taken for a limited time in endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and uterine adenomyosis, but breast cancer will be treated for a long time.
Don't be left alone
○ I want to find a specialist or qualified person ※ I
will leave the NHK site
・Homepage of the Japan Society for Women's Medicine
○ I want to know about menopausal symptoms / I want to
consult / Women's Health and Menopause Association
Phone consultation 03-3351-8001 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 11
:00~16:00)
○I want to
connect with people with juvenile breast cancer※I will leave the NHK site
・"Pink Ring"
○ I want to
consult about cancer with the younger generation "AYA Survivorship Center"
Phone Consultation 03-5550-7098
(Weekdays 9:00~17:00)
Email aya@luke.ac.jp