Zahra McDonald suffered from debilitating cramps, heavy bleeding and mood swings from the age of 13 – but every time she complained she was told it was either ‘normal’ or ‘all in her head’.
When she was 21, the podiatry student from Adelaide bled profusely every day for a year. Her family and doctors kept telling her everything was fine.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Zahra, now 23, said that when a doctor finally took a proper look, they told her that a total hysterectomy was the only option to end her pain and suffering.
“I’m still so traumatized from being a teenager and no one believes me about my endless pain. Sometimes, I would dismiss it and convince myself that I was being dramatic and that there was nothing wrong with me,” she said.
Now she knows that her distressing symptoms were from two separate conditions – endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Adenomyosis, where the tissue lining the uterus grows into its muscular wall, worsens over time and leads to heavy and irregular bleeding as well as infertility.
Zahra McDonald suffered from debilitating cramps, anemia and mood swings for 10 years before doctors finally took her seriously.
The 23-year-old podiatry student from Adelaide also experienced bowel problems and unrelenting heavy bleeding with no apparent medical cause.
Zahra’s symptoms started when she got her first period at age 13.
“It was bad for the first few years, but things gradually got worse over the years. I remember being 15 and thinking this can’t be normal, I shouldn’t be in so much pain and heavy bleeding all the time.
“My mum told me it was just part of life – and that I would eventually get used to it, but I never did.”
Zahra’s doctor put her on the birth control pill when she was 17 to deal with irregular bleeding. She had her period for two weeks with only 14 days between cycles.
“I went to a gynecologist and she would only recommend over-the-counter painkillers like Nurofen,” Zahra said.
“She gave me some blood-thinning pills to deal with the clotting and I took them until I turned 21.”
After several doctor appointments, ultrasounds, blood tests, pap smears and a cervical biopsy – Zahra was finally diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Zahra’s doctor put her on the birth control pill when she was 17 to deal with irregular bleeding
Zahra’s moods continued to fluctuate without notice or reason, and she could no longer tell whether her emotions were due to her birth control or her hormones.
“The pill helped with the bleeding, but it didn’t stop the pain,” she said.
She also had to have iron transfusions every year to cope with the amount of blood loss she was experiencing.
“Not once did anyone mention anything that was wrong,” she said. “I was constantly in and out of the doctor’s office, but she never even told me that endometriosis was something that existed.”
In 2022, Zahra randomly started bleeding every day and didn’t know what to do about it. She let the bleeding continue for a year before deciding to see a doctor, worried that she would break out again.
“The ultrasound still came back perfectly healthy and no one knew what to tell me. I didn’t know what to do, but I couldn’t take the bleeding every day.
“I was disappointed and upset because she mentioned some people who just suffered from worse periods.”
In 2022, Zahra randomly started bleeding every day and didn’t know what to do about it. She let the bleeding continue for a year before deciding to see a doctor, worried that she would break out again.
Another appointment with the gynecologist and a biopsy later, the doctor was finally talking to Zahra about surgery to remove the lesions on her uterus. She was also told she would have to have a full hysterectomy
It wasn’t until one of Zahra’s colleagues went on leave for surgery that she first learned about endometriosis.
“We talked about our symptoms and they were almost identical – I couldn’t believe I had finally found someone who understood what I was going through.
“She told me that the disease usually did not show up in any tests and recommended that I go to her doctor.”
Another appointment with the gynecologist and a biopsy later, the doctor was finally talking to Zahra about surgery to remove the lesions on her uterus.
“I was still so shaken by it all that I tried to walk away from the surgery,” she said.
“I thought it was all in my head and spent six months thinking before I finally came back.”
Zahra tried to pay for all the visits and surgery because her health insurance did not provide her with enough coverage.
“It was extremely strange to have an official diagnosis, but I don’t think it helped me that much.
Zahra tried to pay for all the visits and surgery because her health insurance did not provide her with enough coverage.
Zahra’s pain never went away and she still bled every other day despite having a Mirena IUD fitted.
“My doctor told me that adenomyosis could be causing all the pain, but the only way to diagnose it for sure would be to have a hysterectomy.”
Right now, Zahra has no timeline for recovery and isn’t sure she’ll ever see a day without bleeding or pain.
“I wish I knew it would take a long time to heal and I really wish someone would have believed me when I started experiencing the first symptoms,” she said.
“Most of the help and information I have about my condition hasn’t come from doctors or other health professionals – it’s from talking to other people with endometriosis and researching it myself online.”
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