Woman Loses 20kg After Hysterectomy at 42 Triggered Early Menopause

For much of her life, Leanne Sands rarely had any reason to think about her weight.

The 51-year-old mother of three from Auckland, New Zealand, had been naturally slender for years and even worked as a model when she was younger.

That changed after she underwent a hysterectomy at 42, which brought on early menopause and saw her weight climb to 95kg and a size 18, leaving her feeling disconnected from the person she saw in the mirror.

Now, having shed more than 20kg through healthier lifestyle changes guided by a medical professional, the former model has settled at 75kg and says she feels stronger and more like herself than she has in years at a size 12.

In the months after menopause began, Leanne endured severe hot flushes, mental fog and constant fatigue, while the self-assurance she had long taken for granted gradually began to fade.

After spending the past decade managing the physical and emotional challenges of menopause, she has regained her confidence, built a successful online fashion community and attracted a dedicated audience across social media.

‘I was one of those annoying people who could eat whatever I wanted and never really think about it. I used to model and I always felt quite good about myself,’ Leanne told the Daily Mail.

That all changed in her early 40s when, after a routine check-up, doctors discovered precancerous cells in her body and recommended she have a hysterectomy.

At the time, Leanne was a single mother raising three daughters and said the decision felt straightforward despite the enormity of the surgery.

‘The doctor said, “What do you want to do?” and I remember thinking, “I’m not leaving my kids. I don’t care, just give me the hysterectomy and I’ll deal with whatever comes afterwards,”‘ she recalled.

While surgeons left her ovaries intact in an effort to prevent an early menopause, Leanne began noticing alarming symptoms just weeks into her recovery.

About five weeks after the operation, she experienced severe hot flushes and immediately suspected something wasn’t right.

‘I thought, “This feels like menopause.”‘

When she initially raised her concerns with doctors, she was told it was unlikely because the surgery had been so recent and her ovaries had been preserved.

Unconvinced, she sought a second opinion from a gynaecologist, who ordered further testing, and those results confirmed her fears.

Rather than gradually transitioning into menopause, Leanne said her body appeared to plunge into it almost overnight.

‘At one point I timed it and I was having hot flushes every 15 minutes,’ she said.

Beyond the relentless hot flushes, she struggled with exhaustion, mood swings, brain fog, and a profound sense of disconnection from herself.

And as her hormones changed, so too did her body.

Over the following months, she watched in disbelief as the scales climbed despite making no significant changes to her diet or lifestyle.

She described how her waist thickened, her back broadened and the weight seemed to appear almost overnight.

‘I gained 20kg in about three months, [but] had done nothing differently.’

At her heaviest, 5ft 9in Leanne weighed 95kg, up from the 70kg she had comfortably maintained throughout most of her adult life.

Having spent years working in fashion and modelling when she was younger, Leanne suddenly found herself hiding beneath baggy tops and avoiding the clothes she once loved wearing.

‘I’d always loved clothes, but suddenly I just got lost. You look in the mirror and don’t recognise yourself anymore.’

Desperate for answers, Leanne embarked on what would become a years-long search for solutions.

She tried Weight Watchers, remembering that the low-calorie recipes had helped her lose a few kilos in the past, but the diet didn’t seem to have the same impact.

While hormone replacement therapy helped alleviate some of her menopausal symptoms, it failed to address the weight gain, fatigue and cognitive changes that continued to affect her daily life.

Eventually, she was referred to an endocrinologist who took a more holistic approach.

‘He was the first doctor who looked at everything that was happening to me instead of treating each symptom separately,’ she said.

Determined to find a solution, Leanne spent years working with specialists and exploring a range of approaches.

After a decade of navigating the physical and emotional toll of menopause, she adopted a combination of healthy eating, and, under medical supervision, prescription injections to support her weight management.

Prescription weight loss medicines are not suitable for everyone, can have side effects, and must only be used with a doctor’s advice and monitoring. 

Rather than relying solely on jabs, she focused on creating sustainable habits around nutrition and protein intake, particularly during the early stages when her appetite changed.

Breakfast often consisted of homemade chia pudding topped with fruit and yoghurt or a bowl of porridge.

Lunch was usually leftovers from dinner, a sandwich or protein-rich snacks such as boiled eggs, tuna, crackers, cheese and ham.

She also kept healthy convenience foods on hand to ensure she was still nourishing her body when she didn’t feel like cooking.

‘You forget to eat and suddenly it’s four o’clock and you feel awful. So, I had to learn that you still need to fuel your body properly while you’re losing weight.’

‘I’m not in the habit of having wine every night anymore either, and I’m not constantly snacking,’ she said.

Today, Leanne is 20kg lighter and maintains her weight through a combination of healthy eating and an active lifestyle on the rural property she shares with her husband.

While she laughs that she isn’t particularly dedicated to formal exercise, she spends much of her day outdoors tending to large gardens, caring for ducks and tackling an endless list of projects around the property.

‘I’m always pottering around the garden, painting fences or doing something outside.’

The weight loss has also had an unexpected impact on her career.

Already one of New Zealand’s leading sellers of second-hand designer fashion online, Leanne found herself becoming increasingly confident appearing on camera.

She began hosting live sales, modelling clothing herself and connecting directly with customers through social media. And as her confidence grew, so too did her online following.

Some of her videos have now amassed millions of combined views, with followers regularly praising her candid discussions about fashion, confidence, beauty and navigating midlife.

‘Honestly, I feel better about myself than I have in a long time.’ 

DISCLAIMER: Prescription weight loss medicines are not suitable for everyone and can cause side effects. They should only be used under the supervision of a qualified health professional. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for advice about your treatment options and individual circumstances.