Maeve (25) didn't get her periods back following an operation to have her tonsils removed. "I went to my GP who did some blood tests which revealed that my Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) levels were very high which means that my oestrogen levels were low. I had been getting hot flushes, had problems sleeping and was irritable so he prescribed oestrogen tablets to deal with this. My GP then referred me to a gynaecologist who told me I had gone through the menopause and that adoption and egg donation were my only options. He also gave me my first course of HRT to start on - all in the space of a 20-minute consultation. I was devastated.
"I went back to my GP to get a second opinion. While I was waiting for this appointment, my periods came back for four months. At that stage, the second gynaecologist told me that even if I wasn't having my periods, fertility treatment was an option. `Everything is fine, don't worry,' he said.
Soon after that, I had my appendix out and my periods stopped again. All my symptoms - hot flushes, irritability, feeling bloated, night sweats, the lot - came back again. I returned to the second gynaecologist who did a laproscopy and ovarian biopsy which showed that I had, in fact, gone through the menopause. I just couldn't believe it. Six months earlier I was told not to worry and now this. He suggested that I go back to my GP where I was prescribed HRT.
"I found it very difficult to take HRT as I felt that this was something I shouldn't have to deal with for another 30 years or so. Although I am still not happy with the physical reality of taking it, I do feel so much better on it. All my symptoms have gone and I feel a little bit normal again. "I have been in a steady relationship since before this happened to me and the support of my boyfriend has been great. I think it would be much more difficult to bear if you were on your own."
Pseudonymns have been used for both interviewees because each woman has, as yet, told only her partners and close family about her condition. They also feel that if they use their real names, the lack of knowledge about premature menopause might cause them to be stigmatised.