I went through early menopause at 29. It upended my work and life for nearly two decades - here's what finally helped.

"I've been a registered nurse for almost 25 years, and I've spent the bulk of my career working in labor and delivery and at a fertility clinic. I always felt passionate about women's reproductive health due to my own experiences with endometriosis since I was a teen. I had stage three endometriosis, a disease that happens when tissue grows outside the uterus. The pain was excruciating, and I went to multiple physicians who dismissed my symptoms as something women just go through."

"At 29, I was done having children, and my symptoms were escalating, so I decided to have a hysterectomy to relieve my pain once and for all. The hysterectomy removed my ovaries, uterus, and cervix, which put me into medically induced early menopause. I knew of the general symptoms of menopause, but nothing could've prepared me for the experience I was about to undergo."

"After my hysterectomy, I went back to work as an IVF nurse. I didn't become menopausal right away. I had an ovarian remnant that was producing enough estrogen to hold off menopause. Two years after my hysterectomy, they removed this third-ish ovary, which then led to the first wave of my menopausal symptoms. I experienced increased anxiety, a bit of weight gain, and increased depression in addition to hot flashes, which I mitigated with estrogen tablets and patches."

She had stage three endometriosis from her teens, experienced severe pain, and faced dismissal by multiple physicians. At 29, she elected hysterectomy removing ovaries, uterus, and cervix, causing medically induced early menopause. An ovarian remnant delayed symptoms for two years; when removed, she developed anxiety, depression, weight gain, and hot flashes. She worked full-time as an IVF nurse and fertility clinic manager while managing symptoms with estrogen tablets and patches. The transition strained her physically and emotionally and highlighted challenges of balancing professional responsibilities in reproductive health with sudden premature menopause.

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