'Cancer treatment plummeted me into menopause'

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, 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."

Like Jo, Claire Hurst was already experiencing menopausal symptoms when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 50.

As part of her treatment, she was given medication that rapidly put her in a medically-induced menopause, which she describes as "really, really challenging".

"There is no gradual shift. There's no time to adjust," she says.

"You are literally plummeted into the menopause."

She praises the "exceptional" healthcare support she received from the oncology team but says she felt left to manage the menopause on her own.

"Nobody sits you down and says, 'by the way, this is going to be probably the toughest part of your journey'."

Now 53, Claire is the founder of the Rebalance Clinic in Addingham, West Yorkshire.

She works with women experiencing the menopause, including those undergoing or recovering from breast cancer treatment.

For her, helping to connect patients with the relevant information and services should involve "joined-up thinking" between different organisations.

"Post treatment, there [should be] some follow-on programme where you are able to access really good resources," she says.

"When you educate, you empower. When people understand what's happening, they then go, 'okay, so it's not just me'.

"I think the biggest part for anybody going through the menopause is you are presented with a body that feels and works very, very differently."

Danni Binnington, founder of Menopause and Cancer, says the abrupt shift to menopause during or after treatment is what can be jarring for many.

"What we hear is people feel very lonely, very desperate. They say navigating menopause after cancer is actually worse than the cancer treatment," she says.

Information and advice about what patients could experience should be provided alongside other oncology services, according to her.

The community interest company (CIC) is calling for more information about the possible impacts of cancer treatment, through its Call for Change campaign.

A 2025 survey conducted by the CIC found out of 1,300 respondents, less than half were aware that their particular cancer treatment could induce menopause.

98% said they felt there should be more support from healthcare professionals for menopause following treatment.

"Knowledge is power and the last thing you want is to sit in this big black hole - and that is what people tell us they experience at the moment," Binnington adds.

"What we need to do is we need to bring it out into the open, we need to talk about it, we need to inform people, and then we need to signpost to services to help."

A DHSC spokesperson said: "No woman should feel left without support after cancer treatment, and we recognise the impact that treatment-induced menopause can have, both physically and emotionally.

"Through our National Cancer Plan, we will ensure every cancer patient has a personalised cancer plan and a named clinical nurse specialist, so the long-term effects of treatment, including menopause, are recognised and built into their ongoing care."

The government's Renewed Women's Health Strategy also focused on menopause as "a core priority", they added.

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