Painful and disruptive periods? Don’t dismiss them like I did

I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a bit of an idiot when it comes to my health. I assume I’m dying when I get a mild cold, but I’ve also been known to pop joints back into their sockets and casually go about my day as though nothing has happened. So, I never really know when something is worth seeking medical attention.

Add that to the way women frequently have their pain dismissed, not to mention that we never talk about periods – and you have a perfect storm for allowing things to get very bad before anything is done.

The last 18 months or so I’ve been more fatigued than usual, experienced brain fog, problems with memory, trouble concentrating and dizziness. All the stuff you’d expect to have when you’re stressed about a pandemic, which is what my doctor told me I was probably dealing with. We figured it would go away over time. But, much like COVID, the symptoms lingered.

In December last year, my doctor did a general health check-up, including a blood test. The test showed I was very severely anaemic, with an iron level of 1 (the doctors were surprised I could get out of bed). They thought I could have coeliac disease, as iron deficiency is one of the warning signs, but the tests were negative.

That’s when my gastroenterologist prodded my abdomen and asked how long the massive lump had been there. I had no idea.

It turns out that like my mother, and her mother before her, I need a hysterectomy due to having truly enormous fibroids (benign uterine tumours). We argue over whose are more impressive – mum insists hers were the size of grapefruits, while mine are just a bunch the size of baseballs (we are a very competitive family).

Fibroids aren’t as uncommon as you’d expect. For most people, they won’t cause any problems and aren’t incompatible with a safe pregnancy. You only need to treat fibroids if they’re causing heavy bleeding or a lot of pain.

Fibroids aren’t cancerous. Even when they are symptomatic, there are plenty of options before needing a hysterectomy. Smaller fibroids can be treated with medications or minimally invasive surgeries that preserve fertility.