I had a partial hysterectomy last year - my ovaries were left in - and now I think that I am going through the menopause. I have the most awful pains in my elbows, hands, and hips. I also find it hard to straighten my arms out. I'm not taking HRT.

When your ovaries are left this normally triggers the menopause around about the same age as you would have had it naturally, and you are in the average age range of 45-55, so it is possible.

However, a hysterectomy is a major operation and this itself can put tremendous strain on the body's nervous system. If you then start to get hormonal changes as in the menopause this can stress the body further.

All of this can lead to Adrenal Stress which can give rise to symptoms very similar to menopause ones, such as hot flushes, fatigue, joint pain, low mood etc.

In this situation it is very important to do supportive work for adrenals, such as taking a high strength multi-vitamin with extra magnesium. Liquorice tea can be helpful as well.

I would also suggest acupuncture as it can be very effective for adrenal stress.

Studies have shown that daily relaxation can reduce symptoms quickly so make 30 minutes of relaxation a day a priority.

Check your diet too - avoid caffeine, and high salt and sugar foods as these can all trigger the adrenals contributing to symptoms.

Low iron and low thyroid can also cause similar symptoms so it is a good idea to ask your doctor to test for these if they haven't done so already.

In the meantime, you may find Sage helpful for the flushes and Devils Claw helpful for the joint aches.

Eileen Durward