A "menopause warrior" has opened up about her experiences as she campaigns for better healthcare for women.
Jane James, 57, is fighting for better education and to smash taboos around the subject of menopause.
When she was 46-years-old she had surgery to remove both her ovaries.
The Hythe local said: "I went into surgery, I came out, and I was told nothing about what would happen.
"I did my own research and I found that no-one was talking about menopause or perimenopause.
"It took me two or three years to work out what was actually happening to my body.
"I went into perimenopause straight away."
Jane said that during this time she "hit rock bottom" as she went from being "a confident and sociable person to somebody I didn't recognise".
She stopped going out, found no joy in anything, and began having hot sweats and bouts of depression.
The mother-of-three began her own research and launched her own support group.
Eight years ago she launched a Facebook group called Menopause and HRT Discussion Group to help support and educate local women.
The group now has more than 14,000 members and she has worked closely with TV presenter and menopause campaigner Davina McCall.
"The group was born from me realising that there just want any help out there," Jane said.
"Since then, it's come on leaps and bounds. I have been to two rallies in Parliament to try and get prescriptions free for women who use HRT."
Jane's mission is to make sure that more women are educated about menopause at a younger age, similar to learning about periods in sex education at school.
She says that one of the biggest issues women face is getting a doctor to listen and ensuring doctors are educated on menopause.
Jane said it took around two years before she was prescribed HRT drugs, and was previously put on a high dose of antidepressants.
Jane was trialled on three different tablets which left her with strange side effects such as sores and boils.
Eventually, she was advised to look at HRT gels and patches.
She said: "All the time I have women coming to me asking for advice.
"Recently I had one lady who was in tears on the phone saying that at one of our local surgeries, she was belittled and made to feel like she was wasting their time because their attitude was 'you're not in menopause because you're under 50.
"Well, this is just not the case. Doctors need to know all of the symptoms."
Jane has been featured in a number of menopause books including Cracking the Menopause by Mariella Frostup and Menopausing by Davina McCall.
She has urged all women over 40 to get their GP to check their hormones and thyroids.
To join the Facebook group, visit MHDG.
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