It probably started when I was a teenager. My periods were extremely heavy and unbearably painful. I went to the doctor multiple times, desperate for answers, only to be told the same thing—periods are painful; you just have to get used to it.
So, I did. I assumed I was just weak, that everyone else was going through the same thing and handling it better.
I stopped going to the doctor. Instead, I put up with the pain. But it affected my life in ways I didn’t fully understand at the time. I missed out on time with friends. I stopped swimming, even though I had been part of a swimming club. I let the pain dictate what I could and couldn’t do.
Pregnancy gave me a break – but not for long
Fast forward to 2009, when I was lucky enough to fall pregnant with my first child. For the first time in years, I had relief—no periods, no pain. But after giving birth, the pain came back with a vengeance. It was excruciating, worse than before. And yet, I still didn’t go back to the doctor. What was the point? I already knew what they would say.
In 2013, I had my youngest child. Once again, pregnancy gave me a break, but afterward, my periods were worse than ever. I started to wonder if something was really wrong, but I kept pushing through, as I always had.
The night my body broke down
Then came COVID. The UK went into lockdown in March 2020, and a month later, my body reached its breaking point.
It was one o’clock in the morning when I woke up screaming. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t stand up. I was doubled over, nauseous from the intensity of it. Desperate, I took every painkiller I had in the house, but nothing touched it.
The next morning, I called my GP. Because of COVID restrictions, face-to-face appointments weren’t an option, so they prescribed strong painkillers.
