So, the first time I noticed something was off with my menstrual cycle was in 2006.  It was the first time ever that I got my cycle twice in the same month.  I remember thinking that was odd but I figured based on the days in my cycle that was probably why it came twice that month.  To be honest, I never mentioned it when I went to my GYN doctor because I didn’t think it was a big deal.  In between cycles I would get spotting but again I didn’t pay much attention to it.  Initially my cycle used to start about the same time every month but I noticed that the dates would shift by a week or sometimes 2 weeks.  Then I noticed my period was 5 days, then 6 days, then 7 days.  Many of these changes happened over months but I still didn’t think much of it because I was really young. 

After a few years, I mentioned it to one of the GYN doctors I was seeing but I don’t remember much happening.  She mentioned taking birth control to regulate my period but I didn’t feel comfortable and figured I was going to forget taking it anyways.  I’m so not good with remembering to take meds; epic fails.  I remember my cycle started to get even more sporadic and at this point it was much heavier.  My weight was fluctuating up and down and I remember feeling like something wasn’t right.  However, during this time I was dealing with a lot of stress in my life so I correlated my jacked up menstrual cycles to the stress I was dealing with. Of course, there was so much more that I would find out and experience before I found out what was really going on.  Until then, my heavy, sporadic and prolonged periods would just become a way of life for me.

It started to become something I would have to mentally prepare myself for because it literally took a lot of energy out of me.  From the end of 2008 to 2010, this was an ongoing issue.  I had these heavy sporadic periods and I was in pain!  I started paying attention to what I was eating and realized that if I ate too much sweets my cramps would be super intense so I started dialing back the sweets and noticed a difference but it was still painful.  Just to paint the picture, let’s dwell in the life of what my uterus and I went through.  You’ve already been briefed that this is going to get graphic, so here goes. 

Each month when I get my period, I would get spotting so most days I would have a pad on.  Which means I’m wearing a pad most of the month.  The reason for that is because my “spotting” is really heavy bleeding.  I remember in one instance when my period was ending, it was lighter so I only had on a medium sized pad.  All of a sudden, I started bleeding so heavy it felt like I was urinating on myself.  It literally came with no warning.  I also had very HUGE blood clots that would come out during my cycle to the point where it felt like my organs were falling out.  Super gross! The worst part about this incident is I was on the road.  Thank God I was driving in my car. 

I was bleeding heavily for at least 45 minutes which felt like I was basically hemorrhaging.  By the time I got home, I remember stepping out of my car and seeing a pool of blood in the car seat. Let’s just say I had a lot of cleaning up to do that day.  And this was just one story of what I have faced. I know there are many women who have gone through similar situations and dealt with these issues for years.  Some who are very close to me and I hope to share their story as well. 

Next week we will dig deeper into when I was diagnosed how this continued to affect my daily life.  I want to also share with you the first  diagnosis I got  and the recommendations that were suggested to me by my doctors.  Having uterine conditions is never clear cut.  I may have the same condition many other women have, but our experiences can be totally different.  Everyone’s journey is unique which is why we need to continue to have this open dialog about our reproductive/uterine health.  I look forward to connecting with you and hearing your story some day ladies.  It all starts with a conversation….

Until next time fam, blessings!