#Mom who entered menopause at 13 goes on to have two kids

Decades of fertility research has spawned not one, but two miracles — a son and a daughter — for one post-menopausal mom.

Claire Pape, 43, from Beverly, East Yorkshire in England, went through menopause at 13 years old after experiencing just one menstrual cycle.

Pape first experienced menopausal symptoms, such as hot sweats and mood swings, when she was a teenager, leaving her parents and doctors to assume they were symptoms of puberty.

But when Pape’s period never returned, medical exams eventually determined that she had gone through menopause. At 17, she was told she would never have children.

Nowadays, Pape has a son Louie, 15, and daughter Isabelle, 5, who were conceived through in-vitro fertilization.

“I am sharing my story to give other women with premature ovarian insufficiency some hope,” the print designer said, “as my ovaries were never used yet they disintegrated. It is heartbreaking, but it is something I learnt to accept at a very young age.”

Pape always wanted to be a mother, and felt “lonely” because her friends didn’t understand her maternal struggles. “I was taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from the age of 17. Most girls my age didn’t even know what that was,” she explained.

“It was awful and a massive shock to the system. It was a lonely experience but I took it in my stride,” she continued.

Pape went through a free round of IVF through the National Health Service in 2004; however, the process failed. Another round of IVF cost her £1,800 (about $2,490) — a successful procedure that gave her son Louie in 2005.

Hoping for another child, Pape later miscarried twins and suffered an ectopic pregnancy, when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, most commonly in the fallopian tube.

Pape revealed, “IVF began taking its toll on my body and mental health. I did want to give up after the ectopic pregnancy as it was devastating. But after a few years, I realized I have nothing to lose.”

She ultimately paid £15,500 (about $21,400) for three additional rounds of IVF, made possible via egg donation. She added that she told her children she “needed to use another woman’s seed.” Pape said Louie understands the situation and it hasn’t “affected their bond.”

“I want other women who have gone through menopause early to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “I adore my children and they were worth the struggle to get here.”