A 21-year-old woman from the UK was labeled "hysterical" by healthcare experts after her abdomen pain was dismissed as constipation but in reality, her uterus's condition was so pathetic that it was on the verge of exploding.
The woman, Madeleine Janes had a second uterus that was filled with four years' worth of period blood and that was the main reason behind the intolerable pain. When she started experiencing immense stomach pain in August 2015, a GP, without conducting any test, told her that it was due to constipation. Janes was then prescribed Buscopan, which is a medication for crampy abdominal pain, renal colic, esophageal and bladder spasms.
Situation Became Worse
Her symptoms persisted and the intolerable pain started affecting her daily life. Her situation became so bad that pain relief drugs also stopped working. As Janes was facing trouble to fall asleep due to the pain, she started sleeping in the living room, so that she could watch the television.
Since nothing was working to ease her pain, the UK woman went to her GP several times. One of the nurses at the healthcare center labeled her "hysterical" and told the parents of the woman that "you know how worked up young girls get."
But Janes knew that something was seriously wrong. She decided to remove gluten from her diet, thinking that possibly she was coeliac but it did not work. At the end of August, she went on a holiday to celebrate her mother's 50th birthday andthere her condition turned worse as the pain became unbearable and she was rushed to a local hospital.
This time she was hooked up to an IV from pain relief, and the medics conducted blood tests. Janes was then moved to intensive care to be monitored closely—and all these happened to her for the first time. The doctors and nurses expressed their concerns and commented that she looked like a woman in labor.
Then Happened the Surprising Diagnosis
After conducting x-rays and ultrasound scans, the doctors found that Janes had two uteruses, two cervixes, one ovary, and more shockingly, there was only one kidney. Later, an MRI revealed the cause of her pain. It was due to Janes' smaller womb which was blocked and filled with blood—that had almost four years' worth period blood.
She was immediately taken for an operation and the doctors drained almost 100ml of blood. After the surgery, she was kept at the hospital for recovery and then was referred to a specialist in London. She met with the specialist and then an in-depth MRI scan revealed that Janes was deemed to have uterus didelphys—a condition in which there is a double uterus with two separate services, and possibly a double vagina.
The diagnosis revealed that Janes has two wombs, two cervixes, and two ovaries. She had a piece of skin, grown over the top of her second cervix that caused the blockage for the menstrual blood.
Women's Health Matters
"This September [2020] marked five years since I found out about my condition and since then, there are still so many women being dismissed and struggling to get a diagnosis and receive proper treatment and relief from their suffering – something that is so prevalent in the chronic illness community," said Janes.
She also added that as per the scientists, researchers and statistics, women experience the healthcare system differently to men and there is a long history of such incidents and in 2020 it is still happening. More than a doctor, nurse and a specialist "You know your body better than anyone else... Listen to your gut and what your body is telling you and keep persisting even if you keep getting turned away."
Janes also said that when the right person "will hear you and you'll get the help you need" but it may take some time to get there but never let anyone tell you it's all in your head."
