A woman who had a medically induced menopause after stopping active treatment for her breast cancer, leading to periods so bad she “bled all over the floor in Tesco” and felt “suicidal”, has encouraged others in her position to “follow your gut instinct”, after doctors left her unaware of what was happening to her.
Vicky Saynor, 47, a luxury holiday accommodation owner, was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast at Heathrow Airport while waiting to board the flight for her and her husband’s honeymoon to India in 2018. Vicky, who lives with her husband Chris, 47, her son, Mylo, 13, and her step-children Poppy, 17, Felix, 14, and Willow, 11, finished active treatment for her breast cancer in 2019 – but just a few months later she had incredibly painful joints and declining mental health to the point where she “could not look after” her children.
Vicky “really struggled” to get doctors to listen to her and felt as though younger women were prioritised when discussing the fertility effects of cancer. She said she was not told that early menopause, or medically-induced menopause, could happen to her. After eventually trying hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Vicky’s mental and physical health improved and she finally felt as though she got her “life back”.
