'I enta menopause before my mama'

Imagine you be teenager or your 20s and you find out say, you don enta menopause.

No be how Emma, Soe-Myat and Elspeth no picture say dia life go be. Dia diagnosis start lonely journey to learn about wetin all women go face wit age but pipo no dey too tok about.

Na one August Morning for 2013 wen one consultant tell Emma Delaney say she dey menopausal at di age of 25.

Emma shock for di hard hospital chair, her mind just dey hear small of wetin she dey tok. Her periods bin no come back some years afta she stop to take contraceptive pills and fit no come back. E no sure for am say she go fit conceive naturally.

She say, "I no know how to react, he tell me like say I don lost my keys say I no go fit born pikin".

Emma na part of group of women wey dey affected by di condition wey dem dey call Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) .

POI na wetin dem dey call any form of menopause wey happun before pesin don reach te age of 40.

Most of di time, e no dey clear wetin cause am, and women wey get POI fit face menopausal symptoms until dem enta dia 50s.

Around one in 100 women for UK dey affect by di condition and sabi pipo tin say e fit common pass like dat.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Dr Nighat Arif, an NHS GP and TikTok star wit special interest for menopause care say, "enough tok no too dey about menopause for di younger age groups at all.

Normally, wetin you go see na one older woman, wit grey hair, dem fan her self. E no dey representative."

For pipo like Emma, e no clear why dia ovaries no dey function but POI also fit come by auto-immune conditions, chromosomal disorders or womb or ovaries surgery.

As well as physical effects, e get psychological effects too.

Afta Emma doctor tell am her diagnosis, she cry for her car for one hour.

Emma bin no know anything about menopause except wetin she hear from oda women for di hair salon wey she dey work for.

Di future wey she don dream, to care for two pikin wey she born don scata.

Dem later put Emma for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) tablets.

She learn say her ovaries don stop work so her body no dey produce enof oestrogen and progesterone wey dey govern menstrual cycle.

Dis imbalance don dey give her health wahala for years.

She discover say di brain fog wey she don dey face no be just part of her personality.

Hot flashes wey be like firework dey explode for fer whole bodi, no be hairdryer cause am.

And her sleepless nghts, no be insomnia cause am. Na symptom of di hormone imbalance.

E no help say, her mama dat time wey bin just dey her early 40s bin neva reach menopause. Her friends start to dey marry born dia own pikin, she say "e be like nobody understand me".

Emma chook all her focus for inside work and no gree tok about her diagnosis.

She load her evenings wit hangouts and casual dates, she bin no wan do like her friends wey get partners and pikin dem.

She explain say, "I abuse my bodi wit alcohol and sex... I no sabi say I need to tok to pesin about am".

As to face di palava of premature menopaue no hard reach, many women dey experience am afta dem face oda serious health kasala.

For London graphic design student Soe-Myat Noe, menopause come as di unexpected consequence of her cancer treatment.

Earlier dis year, at just 23, she get diagnosis for stage three bowel cancer.

Radiation for her pelvic area spoil her ovaries but dat time she bin no know wetin e mean.

She say "dem (doctors and nurses) bin dey focus on di cancer and my treatment and I no tink any pesin tell me wetin di menopause include".

Her symptoms wey include ringing for ears, anxiety, tiredness, come sharp-sharp and bin dey severe.

Tok-tok about periods fertility snf menopause bi no common wen Soe-Myat bin dey grow so she neva learn wetin to expect. Her university friends wey dey tink about IUDs and contraceptive pills bin no fit relate.

"Everi tin wey bin dey do me, I dey associate wit older pipo so e be like say I jump beta chunk of my life".

While Soe-Myat bin fit tok mental health wit her therapist, di physical menopuase symptoms bin no dey consider.

She start to ginger for heself, dey google treatment as chemotherapy make am tire and she bin dey deal wit stoma bag.

Even though HRT no good for women wey get some kain cancer, dem find di one wey safe for Soe-Myat and wen she start to take am her symptoms become better.

Since den, she don get all clear, no, togeda wit HRT, she dey go on walks and avoid hot tinsto help herself.

But she wish say dem tell am how to manage her symptoms earlier for di process.

Dr Nighat Arif social media don full wit messages from woment wey don get similar experieence.

She want make healthcare professionals understand how menopause dey work beta as well as women of all ages to "comot di taboo" arpund am.

"Please tok to women for your life. No be shameful some tin, learn wetin dem dey pass through".

Dr Ari say more women don dey diagnosed wit POI becaise of beta awareness for di symptoms but e fit still long to get am.

And if you no treat POI e fit get long term effects for women bones, hearts and mental health.

For her surgery, Dr Arif dey also see oda effects of POI wey pipo no like tok, like painful sex and loss of libido.

Na 23 year old, Elspeth Wilson sabi dis one pass.

She bin get her POI diagnosis at 15 years, difficulty wit sex na some tin wey she don go through for ger whole dating life.

She say, "e dey hard to dey inside relationship wit pesin and you wan show dem say you love dem. But your bodi no dey allow you and sometins no dey comfortable. Wetin vex me pass na say doctors no tell me say, dis one go be issue".

Elspeth just get her first job afta university as market-researcher for Newcastle, Even though she hail her oga say e dey supportive dis big change wit POI dey tricky.

"E dey ass to di imposter syndrome. I go get moments wia I get brain fog and e go start at di worst time."

She find comfort for one WhatsApp group of oda woman wey dey face dat kain tin. For dia chat, nothing dey off limits.

"E dey reassuring to get dat soace to ask those questions and vent. If yo get ability to fit tok about am for wat wey you no go get shame at all, e dey easier."

Soe-Myat wey join online support group for young women wey cancer cause dia menopause gree. She say "I feel validated".

Na lesson wey Emma too don take time to learn.

Afta years wey she don dey try block di pain of her diagnosis, Emma later start to dey tok more about her experiences more. She start to tok her feelings with with counsellor, wey start to ake am feel like herself again.

"No mata my diagnosis, I still be me, I dey more than my diagnosis. Na very big lesson to learn."

A few years ago, she meet partner wey understand her condition and now dem dey live together.

On Instagram, she start to follow hashtags about menopause, na wia she find Daisy Network, wey be charity dem create to provide informate and support for women wey get POI.

For di first time, she don tok to pipo wey understand wetin she dey pass through.

At 34 now, she don dey tink say her future get pikin inside. She say egg donation and IVF go too affect am so she dey consider to foster in di next few years.

Sometimes, she go wear one faded, bleached stained black t-shirt wey dem write "Make Menopause Matter" on am go salon.

Her clients go come tell am say she dey too young for menopause and na how she go gist dem about her mata as she dey do dia hair.

"Dem dey tell me say dem don learn more about menopause for di 30 minutes wey dem stay with me than dem learn for dia whole lives. E dey make me proud say I fit tok am for every woman".

Plenti women no dey tink about menopause till dem reach dia 40s but e fit start earlier.

Emma, Soe-Myat, Olivia and Elspeth tell dia tori ot help odas of any age to handle menopause.