In a trailer for the latest iteration of the Kardashian reality franchise, entitled - The Kardashians - Kourtney, 42, made the revelation that her IVF journey with fiancée Travis Barker had resulted in her entering “early menopause”.
In the clip for the new series, mother-of-three Kourtney, is seen talking to her mother Kris, explaining how the IVF medication she is taking in the hopes of conceiving have had a smorgasbord of unwelcome side effects, including weight gain and menopause symptoms.
“Every single person on social media is always like, ‘Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s gained so much weight’”, she said.
“And I’m like, it’s so rude to comment on people when you have no idea what they’re actually going through. The medication they’ve been giving me, they’ve put me into menopause.”
Visibly shocked by her eldest daughter’s revelation, Jenner asked: “Menopause? Based off of what, a drug?”
“Yes, literally menopause,” Kardashian replied.
Information about the potential side effects of IVF treatment isn’t particularly widely available, according to the NHS website they can include: bloating, nausea, weight gain, hot flushes, feeling irritable and in extreme cases ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and ectopic pregnancy. There is no information regarding early menopause, although many symptoms of menopause mimic the side effects of some IVF drugs.
Normally menopause occurs between 45 and 55 as a woman’s oestrogen levels decline. In the UK, the average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51. It’s estimated that one in 100 women will go through early menopause, this is when it hits before 40 and is known as premature menopause.
Dr Amin Gorgy, a fertility expert and co-founder of the Fertility Academy, says that although intensive cancer treatments can trigger menopause, it is not induced by IVF treatment.
“Early menopause can be triggered by chemotherapy or radio therapy,” Gorgy says. “Some chromosomal abnormalities or auto-immune diseases are associated with early menopause. Early menopause might run in the same family. If there is a history of early menopause in your family, you should check your ovarian reserve and start a family early if feasible.”
But when it comes IVF-induced menopause, Gorgy stresses that there was no correlation
“Each woman develops a number of eggs every month (cycle)”, she explains. “Normally, one of these eggs progresses to maturity and ovulation while the others will regress and die off.
“Ovarian stimulation in IVF keeps a number of these early eggs progressing to maturation and egg collection. Ovarian stimulation in IVF does not result in the loss of more eggs than the natural cycle.”
Gorgy said that the only time women should be concerned about premature menopause symptoms is if they have a pre-existing family history or have been told they a low ovarian reserve of eggs, in which case egg freezing could be something to consider.
Kourtney didn’t clarify in the clip if she is still menopausal, or whether she is just experiencing menopause-like symptoms, which include irregular periods, hot flashes, chills, night sweats - and weight gain.
