Katherine Glyde, 36, is now trying to raise awareness
Katherine Glyde(Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
A woman whose “football-sized” abdominal lump resulted in a full hysterectomy, triggering surgical menopause while still in her 30s, is now campaigning for greater support after feeling she doesn’t “fit into any category”.
Katherine Glyde, 36, a business owner from Essex, England, revealed it took almost two decades to receive an endometriosis diagnosis, having been told she had “everything but” the condition throughout the years.
During preparations for her cervical screening, commonly referred to as a smear test, in February, she discovered a sizeable lump in her abdomen. Following the appointment, she was referred for “urgent” scans and testing.
Katherine received the news that she had fibroids — non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb — with one measuring 27cm, meaning she required a hysterectomy, the surgical procedure to remove the womb.
Katherine Glyde(Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
She explained that the total abdominal hysterectomy carried out in April triggered immediate surgical menopause, leaving her with a 25cm scar, and she experienced her first hot flush within hours of coming round from surgery.
Now, six months on, during World Menopause Awareness Month, Katherine is pushing for improved guidance and support for younger women going through menopause. “You don’t fit into any category, really. You don’t fit into the typical menopause space,” Katherine told PA Real Life.
“This happened to me in 24 hours. It didn’t happen in a few years, it didn’t happen gradually. There’s no guideline for what you do afterwards, and I think this needs to change.”
From “period number one”, aged 11, Katherine revealed she endured heavy bleeding, excruciating pain and poor mental health, yet her concerns were repeatedly dismissed. She explained: “I would frequently bleed through my school uniform and have to get changed.”
Katherine disclosed she was prescribed the contraceptive pill by her GP at just 12 years old, yet her symptoms continued and deteriorated. She kept returning to her GP, only to find herself continuously brushed aside and incorrectly diagnosed.
“After (the pill), the GP said, ‘Well, it’s nothing to do with your periods because your periods are fixed’,” she said. “Then they said, ‘OK, we’re going to send you to gastroenterology’.”
Following further consultations, Katherine was informed her symptoms were attributable to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition which affects the digestive system. She was subsequently diagnosed with glandular fever, a viral infection, owing to her persistent fatigue and discomfort.
“I got told it was everything but (endometriosis),” she said. After enduring 17 years of debilitating symptoms, Katherine received an endometriosis diagnosis at the age of 28, followed by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), now known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).
Katherine underwent a full hysterectomy and surgical menopause(Image: Collect/PA Real Life)
She revealed she had been “navigating” everything alone up until this point and, following a private consultation with an endometriosis specialist in 2021, nothing further was identified. However, prior to her routine smear test in February, which examines cervix health and aids in preventing cervical cancer, she discovered a substantial lump in her abdomen.
“The nurse said, ‘I can’t find your cervix, but it can move around, don’t worry about that’, and I said, ‘Is that why I’ve got this weird lump in my stomach?’,” Katherine explained. “Then she said, ‘Hold on a minute. Let me finish the smear test, and then we’re going to talk about this’.
“At the time, I had what can only be described as what felt like a football in my tummy, and when I pushed on my stomach, it was rock hard.”
Katherine revealed she was also suffering intense back pain alongside bowel and bladder problems, which she’d attributed to a kidney infection, and was referred to gynaecology for “urgent” examinations and scans. This was when Katherine discovered she had four fibroids, with the most substantial measuring 27cm, and was informed the swelling was “the equivalent of being 34 weeks pregnant”.
She said further concerns arose regarding whether the largest fibroid was cancerous, though this hasn’t been confirmed and investigations continue. “The questions were initially like, ‘Can we just remove the fibroids? Can we do it avoiding a hysterectomy?'” Katherine said.
“Initially, I very much thought, ‘I don’t want to have a hysterectomy. I don’t really want to have surgery at all’. Every appointment got scarier and scarier than the one before.”
Katherine explained that due to her “period issues” from an early age, and later endometriosis diagnosis, she understood that conceiving naturally might prove impossible. Therefore, when it was determined that a hysterectomy represented the optimal treatment, she “made peace” with the decision – though she still found it difficult.
“I think I coped with it well, but there would be certain moments that would just completely break me,” she said. “I’d almost put (having children) aside… but when it was suddenly taken away, that’s a whole other element of grief that you have to navigate.”
Katherine explained that doctors had discussed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prior to her operation and, given her mother had undergone a hysterectomy, she was familiar with surgical menopause. Nevertheless, with pre-operative tests indicating she had “no signs of perimenopause”, she described going from “one to one thousand” and experiencing her initial symptom almost instantly following the April surgery.
According to the NHS, menopausal symptoms can include hot flushes, depression, vaginal dryness, sleep problems, known as insomnia, fatigue and night sweats. “I thought, in my head, I’d have some time to recover from the surgery and then it would all start. It wasn’t like that,” she said.
“I remember waking up (the night of my surgery), absolutely dripping in sweat, and then suddenly being freezing cold. I messaged one of my friends who said to me, ‘Congratulations, you’ve just had your first hot flush’… but the worst thing that I’ve experienced so far is the insomnia.”
Katherine revealed that her HRT, administered through patches, has been adjusted and her sleep difficulties have subsequently lessened, though she continues to endure hot flushes and battles with her psychological wellbeing. Additional symptoms have encompassed weight increase, appetite changes and thinning hair, while she even briefly developed tinnitus, typically characterised as a persistent ringing sensation in the ears.
Katherine described feeling as though she’s perpetually functioning at roughly 60% capacity and believes there’s insufficient support available for younger women navigating menopause. She’s determined to campaign for enhanced guidance and regular follow-up consultations for those experiencing surgical menopause to assist them in maintaining a “normal life”.
“It’s hard to see menopause and mid-life used interchangeably,” she said. “I’m not the only person who’s my age who’s had a hysterectomy… but I’ve gone to menopause-specific events, and people don’t think I’m there for myself.
“For other younger women going through surgical menopause, I’d say, it’s not over, it’s not mid-life, it’s whatever point of life you’re at. You will be OK and you will build a new life without a womb.”