Menopausal early is when menopausal symptoms begin before the age of 40, and is a problem that affects about 5 % of Trusted sources of women in natural. Because of a genetic disorder, I was among the 5 percent.
Since when I was a young girl playing with dolls for babies, I always knew that I would like to have children someday. Being menopausal early has changed my thinking about this necessity.
When I was five years old and my baby brothers were born, I had everyone around me call my “little mama.” I’ve always been a good baby, as well as children, and it was inevitable to have a child myself.
Then life took over.
Fragile X syndrome has changed my life.
My parents noticed that my brother was not achieving his developmental milestones. When he turned three, He was diagnosed with fragile X disorder (FXS), which is the most common gene that causes autism as well as intellectual disabilities.
FXS is a gene-related disorder, which means True Source. It’s passed down through genes located on the X chromosome. Females born have two X chromosomes and could be carriers of the condition but not suffer from it.
My mother and I were tested, and both identified as carriers. That meant I had a 50% chance of passing on FXS to my children.
In vitro fertilization was a solution.
We conducted our research and discovered that IVF (IVF) that includes Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) tests can almost remove the chance of having children affected by FXS. After learning about this, it was the plan I had in mind.
While my brother is extremely functioning, and we would not change his personality for anything, There is no way to predict the level of functioning a child like mine might be.
I got married when I was thirty. My husband and I went around and around about what the best moment to have children would be, but we were not in a financial position to do so.
The typical cost for IVF across the United States is $17,000-$20,000 for the procedures and $ 3,500-$6,000 for the treatment, which is often not paid for by insurance, as per the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago.
At the age of 36, we realized that it was time to explore our options.
Although fragile X patients aren’t necessarily “affected” by FXS, they may still exhibit symptoms such as neuropsychiatric disorders, autoimmune disorders, pain, and early menopausal symptoms.
Around 20% of carriers are diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency during their lives, and 7 percent of them will go through menopausal symptoms before the age of 29, According to the National Fragile X Foundation.
When we finally had genetic tests, we also checked hormone levels as well as other indicators of the health of the woman and the possibility of pregnancy. We found that I had signs of menopausal symptoms early.
Menopausal symptoms that are early
The experience completely changed our view of having children since we were beginning to believe that we would not be able to bear any biological children. We had to be able to reconcile our desire for children and not be able to have any.
Just a few years ago, I began having hot flashes and had difficulty sleeping. I would toss and turn during the end of the night, keeping my spouse awake. In my effort to sleep, I reduced the thermostat to such a low level that I almost froze him out of the bedroom.
I’d noticed an unproven cause of flushing, and my chest and face were turning glowing red. I didn’t think of it being associated with menopausal symptoms, mostly due to my age, since, even though I was aware that menopausal symptoms could be early, my mother was not affected by the same thing, so I wasn’t expecting to either.
As I was a symptomatic carrier of FXS and suffered from painful menstrual periods in the past due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), I had an intrauterine device (IUD). Also, my menstrual cycle was changing, but there was no clue of menopausal symptoms.
I also gained weight and felt uncomfortable within my body. All of these signs, if you look back, could be a sign of early menopausal symptoms.
I was angry at myself for not noticing it earlier and not seeking solutions prior to. But, now, I had to face it. I didn’t have children yet and always had a dream of having them.
I blamed myself
I felt apprehensive over the notion that I’d waited for too long. It had simply not been a possibility earlier.
I blamed my body, myself, and my bad luck for getting into the predicament I was in. I’d watched my friends have kids, and I thought I was jealous. As I watched my friends with children, I became a little irritable at times. My emotions were up, and I was unsure of what to do about all my feelings.