'I could barely stand up straight with menopause after cancer'

A woman who went into medically induced menopause immediately after breast cancer treatment has described the experience as "horrible".

Rachel Bowman from Hove was 46 when she began treatment for breast cancer four years ago, but the medication put her into complex menopause, when symptoms happen abruptly and often more severely due to medical interventions.

"I could barely move. I could barely stand up straight. It was terrible," said Bowman.

A new pilot clinic to help breast cancer patients manage complex menopause after treatment has now opened in Brighton.

Dr Renske McFarlane who leads the project at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, said that for many women, living with the effects of treatment can continue for years.

"I felt we needed to do more to support women with that aftercare," she said.

Complex menopause happens abruptly due to medical interventions like cancer treatments, making symptoms such as hot flushes, joint pain and low mood much more severe and harder to treat.

Bowman said for her, complex menopause happened overnight.

Kaynak: BBC News Health RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)