Nikki went through menopause at 22. She's been keeping it a secret for nearly a decade

Exclusive: Nikki Foord was only 22 years old when she went through menopause, though she didn't know until years later and it's cost her six figures already.

But she's never shared the heartbreaking secret with anyone outside her inner circle.

Until now.

Fewer than one in 20 Australian women experience premature menopause, which occurs before the age of 40, and the stigma around it can be overwhelming.

Foord kept her story secret for nearly a decade, confiding in only a handful of people even when the physical, emotional and financial toll threatened to drown her.

"When we say nothing, nothing changes, and people suffer in silence," she told nine.com.au.

"And that definitely happened to me a lot during those early days."

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The average age of 'natural' menopause in Australia is 51, according to Jean Hailes.

About three in four women experience 'natural' menopause and up to 12 per cent go through early menopause, which occurs between the ages of 40 and 44.

Fewer than five per cent go through premature menopause, which occurs under the age of 40.

It can be caused by cancer treatment, surgery or certain health conditions, but in about half of cases the cause is never found.

That's what happened to Foord, who went undiagnosed for nearly a decade.

There were early signs that something was wrong in her 20s: an endometriosis diagnosis, an extremely low egg count, and a list of odd symptoms that kept growing.

"Doctors just thought I was an anomaly," Foord said.

"So I went for another seven years where I, unbeknownst to me, was getting more and more [menopause] symptoms."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au

Restless legs, hot flushes, mood swings, sleepless nights, borderline insomnia, rapid weight gain, fluid retention – the signs kept piling up.

But doctors couldn't find anything medically wrong with her.

Over time, Foord began to doubt her own body and mind.

"I honestly thought I was losing it."

The truth didn't come out until she was in her 30s and hoping to start a family.

A specialist eventually looked at Foord's symptoms going back nearly a decade and realised they were consistent with premature menopause.

Foord was relieved to have an answer, and heartbroken by what it meant.

She had been infertile since the age of 25.

Despite copious tests, no one could explain why menopause had arrived 20 years early in a fit, otherwise healthy young woman.

"It was just bad luck," she said.

The only thing doctors could say for sure was that after nearly a decade without treatment, the effects were irreversible.

Had Foord's case been caught sooner, she may have been able to access medication and treatments that could have better managed her premature menopause.

But she had no idea what to look for.

Even now there's a major menopause knowledge gap in Australia, according to Priceline Pharmacy research released last year.

More than 1.1 million Aussie women say they know more about changing a tyre than menopause and most don't know where to go for information about menopause.

Only one in three Australians are confident in recognising menopause symptoms and health impacts, while two in five women going through perimenopause or menopause say they don't understand what's happening to their bodies.

Half admit they've kept their experience private, leaving many to suffer in silence.

And suffer they do.

Foord has spent nearly a decade coming to terms with her diagnosis and still has bad days, especially when she thinks back to those first few years.

"I went to specialists who told me it was my fault, that women like me are chasing careers and the perfect life ... and that's why we're in these positions," Foord said.

"I was told to go and seek psychological help, because I'm the problem.

"I had to deal with being blamed for something that was just not mine to bear."

Unable to fall pregnant or carry a child due to premature menopause, she looked into IVF and surrogacy.

Foord spent more than $20,000 on fertility treatments, plus tens of thousands more on specialists, medications and mental health support.

To date, she's poured about six figures into managing premature menopause.

That figure will only increase as she ages and her symptoms, which now include osteoporosis, worsen.

Though she's only 42, Foord's body now believes she's in her 70s and she'll be on medication for the rest of her life to manage the side effects.

Over the last decade, she's kept quiet about her struggles, confiding only in her husband and parents due to the stigma and isolation associated with premature menopause.

This article will change that – and Foord said that's a good thing.

Australian women have grown increasingly vocal about the physical, mental and financial impacts of menopause in the last five years, opening the floor for others to speak up.

Though the conversation has focused predominantly on 'natural' menopause until now, Foord wants to bring premature menopause into the spotlight.

She's only ever seen one other Australian woman with premature menopause speak about her experience and wants that to change, so other women know they're not alone.

And where better to start than with her own story?

"I just don't like hearing people suffer alone and we shouldn't have to," she said.

"I want to be able to live a healthy life, not just for myself, but to show others that you can do this."

For more information about premature and early menopause, visit the Jean Hailes website.

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