HomeTagsPosts tagged with "hysterectomy"

hysterectomy

Jessie J has opened up about her hopes for a miracle baby with Channing Tatum, despite battling infertility for the last five years.

The singer was diagnosed with infertility and told she'd need an immediate hysterectomy, but refused the treatment and chose instead to overhaul her lifestyle and diet.

The 31-year-old believes that her body will one day allow her to conceive naturally, and is doing everything possible to get there.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by  (@jessiej) on

Speaking to Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden on today's Heart Breakfast show, she got candid about the difficulties she's experienced emotionally;

"I've always been someone that is open and honest. And from a very very young age I've always stood in the middle of my pain and my battles with everything. And I think it's basically made me who I am today and the artist I am and the music I make.

"So four and a half, five years ago I was diagnosed with this disease that, you know is making it harder. I was told I couldn't have children, I don't believe it. I believe in miracles. I haven't given up," she added.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by  (@heartbeatss_brazil) on

The Voice Kids presenter continued; 

"For the last four years I've changed my diet, I've changed the way I've live, I've done a lot of self-work and just to be open about it and start a conversation that could help someone that doesn't know how to talk about it, and start this conversation.

"Being on the show, I had some people ask me you know 'is it really hard?' and I'm like, 'no'. I love kids and I'm so grateful. Whatever happens will happen. I've had great blessings and success in my life and I believe that balance has to happen for everybody."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by(@jessiej) on

Of course, seeing as she's dating actor Channing Tatum, Jessie J has faced many questions over possible baby news with her new boyfriend.

Tatum already has six-year-old daughter Everly with his ex-wife Jenna Dewan, but Jessie hinted that she'd be ready to become a parent alone if he didn't want more kids.

She heavily denied queries over whether the pair have discussed babies yet;

"No, just because he’s Channing Tatum everyone’s kind of sped us up in to this, like, 'are you getting married? Are you doing this?' I mean, I've been in relationships for a lot longer than Chan and I have in the last four, five years but they're not famous so no one really cares."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on

Jessie continued: "We're having a lovely time. And I'm very, very respectful of his situation and his privacy."

This new revelation comes only a few months after an emotional Jessie told an audience the true meaning behind her song, Four Letter Word;

"I was told 4 years ago I won’t be able to have children. I was also told I would need a hysterectomy immediately and to be put on medication. I refused the hysterectomy and I'm off all medication through natural medicine and diet change.

"I haven't given up hope. I am doing all I can to make it happen the best way my body will allow."

Feature image: Instagram/@youngtribune1

Trending

Lena Dunham has always been candid abut her struggle with endometriosis and openly documented her journey.

The actor and writer took to Instagram to mark one year since undergoing a hysterectomy due to the severity of her condition. 

She posted to photos side-by-side; one of her appearing downcast and the other of her smiling.

She wrote, ''What a difference a year makes…First photo was indeed a year ago today, on the first night after my hysterectomy for severe endometriosis.''

She continued, ''I was smiling but my eyes say it all: full of anxiety and grief that I couldn't locate through the layers of pain meds and benzos. The second pic was taken tonight, happy joyous and (substance) free.'' 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What a difference a year makes… First photo was indeed a year ago today, on the first night after my hysterectomy for severe endometriosis. I was smiling but my eyes say it all: full of anxiety and grief that I couldn’t locate through the layers of pain meds and benzos. Severe undiagnosed PTSD, feelings that my worth and purpose were being taken from me, angry and self-pitying with no sense of how I’d emerge. Plus, my hair had fallen out in odd clumps and I’d taken it upon myself to dye what remained electric blue cuz if you’re gonna spiral why not SPIRAL (shout out to @joanaavillez for being a true friend and bringing Manic Panic when I demanded it at night in the hospital, though. I love you Jo.) The second pic was taken tonight, happy joyous and (substance) free. The last year hasn’t been all roses and Kenny G songs, but it’s been proof enough for me in the presence of the divine. The divine- it’s been there in the kindness of my family, friends, chronically ill folks online. It’s also been there in the moments where I cried myself to sleep, shocked by the sounds coming out of me. It’s in the light slanting on my comforter, the resilience of my best friend’s baby clonking her head then giggling, the new hairs sprouting at my temples. Mostly I’ve found it in my own strength, because who the fuck knew. And I don’t mean strength as in powering through. I mean strength as in vulnerability, feeling it all, taking it as it comes and dancing even with a hospital grade pad in my underwear. I surprised myself. I bet you can surprise yourself too.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

The 32-year-old had been battling endometriosis for more than a decade hen she made the heart-wrenching decision to have her uterus removed at the age of 31.

She penned an essay for Vogue explaining why, and also acknowledging that she did always wnt to have children, but knew there was something wrong.

She writes, ''I check myself into the hospital and announce I am not leaving until they stop this pain or take my uterus. Sometimes it takes a while for the reality of infertility to set in, the rage.'' 

However she is celebrating how much stronger she is one year on from surgery.

She writes that, ''I’ve found it in my own strength, because who knew. And I don’t mean strength as in powering through. I mean strength as in vulnerability, feeling it all, taking it as it comes and dancing even with a hospital grade pad in my underwear.''

''I surprised myself. I bet you can surprise yourself too.''

Her fans were full of support for her, writing, ''Your vulnerability is inspiring. We love you.''

Another said, ''You wear your soul in the words written. I so admire you.''

Keep doing what you're doing Lena – you are a true inspiration to so many women everywhere. 

Trending

Gender bias in the medical industry is becoming increasingly more prominent as a direct result of women sharing their stories and opening up about their experiences with pain and illness.

Just last year, a study carried out by the Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health found that women are less likely to be given CPR. Men were more likely to survive cardiac arrest in a public place by a massive 23%.

This year alone, the CervicalCheck scandal has rightfully caused outrage in Ireland, when it was reported that hundreds of smears were in fact out-of-date, which resulted in the wrongful diagnosis of numerous women who could have survived if they had been given the accurate results in time. Only mere weeks ago, cervical cancer sufferer and campaigner Emma Mhic Mathúna died aged 37, a mother of five.

In tragic and life-altering instances such as these, women deserve compassion and respect in their healthcare journeys, it has since been reported that doctors were told to "use their own judgement" regarding whether or not to tell patients about their misdiagnosis.

The right to information surrounding your own body should be the lowest bar set, it cannot simply be a privilege for the few. Bodily autonomy has never been an equal playing field for men and women.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sandra Murphy (@sandraisinthecity) on

Vicky Phelan sued the US laboratory who wrongfully interpreted the results and was awarded €2.5 million in compensation by the High Court, after finding out in September 2017 that her 2011 smear test was a false negative.

In 2016, researchers at University College London found that women with dementia receive worse medical treatment than their male counterparts with the same condition. I could go on.

Statistics and cases such as these may seem like aberrations in the system, yet so many women claim to experience sexism in their GP clinics, local hospitals and consultants offices every day.

Gender, race and poverty are undeniable biases in healthcare- none of these should ever be ignored.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Erin Jackson (@erin_k_jackson) on

Sexism has been a major factor in medicine since time began, from Aristotle’s declaration that the female form is naturally inferior, to the connection of the uterus with apparent female “hysteria” in the middle ages, trying to get a doctor to empathise with female pain can be draining and hugely frustrating.

This is not helped by the fact that the majority of consultants and specialists are male, and are rarely trained to spot female symptoms or female illnesses in the same detail as those of the male body.

It may seem absurd in this day and age that the Victorians confined women to asylums, whether they showed any evidence of mental illness or not, but doubt still leaks into clinics and hospitals when it comes to female pain.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gwynn Raimondi MA LMFTA (@gwynnraimondi) on

The fact that women have to go through the most difficult time to get a diagnosis of female illnesses such as fibromyalgia and endometriosis speaks volumes into the lack of funding which goes into researching these diseases, which affect thousands of women nationwide.

Fibromyalgia is still suspended in the disbelief of numerous practitioners, despite women pertaining symptoms for years at a time without gaining any appropriate treatment.

Lady Gaga has recently spoken out as a sufferer of this condition, asking for better healthcare to treat this complex disease which causes total body pain.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Abby Norman (@abbymnorman) on

Women are portrayed as hysterical hypochondriacs, and men are constantly depicted as the silent stoic types, who refuse to show weakness in the form attending a prostate exam that could save their life.

The Girl Who Cried Pain represents a 2001 study by Anita Tarzian and Diane Hoffman which examined pain management and gender. It showed clearly that women were far less likely to be given pain relief or long-term medication for pain (drugs such as Gabapentin, Lyrica and Amitriptylene), and it also revealed that women are less likely to gain the adequate treatment by healthcare providers.

Ask Me About My Uterus by Abby Norman is another fascinating read which describes her torturous experience of trying to get a diagnosis for her endometriosis, a dangerous illness where uterine tissue grows on organs outside of the womb. Often the only treatment is sedatives, or a hysterectomy. Endometriosis UK has claimed that despite the illness affecting 1 in 10 women, it takes an average of nine years to get a diagnosis.

I had to beg my own consultant for a laparoscopy exam after two relentless years of chronic abdominal pain, and he stopped my GP from prescribing me my vital pain medication after claiming that there was “no reason” for my pain. AKA, he didn’t believe me.

I have since been diagnosed in the US after three years with a congenital pain condition where I was born with a vast excess of nerve endings at the base of my spine, which affects over 13% of women, and yet not a single doctor in Ireland or Britain could offer any treatment or advice.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sarah B. Sweet (@urmultifaceted) on

When I went to America, the specialist who has thousands of female patients who travel across America to see him told me that he is refused funding daily for his clinical trials and research into female pain, for the reason that all the funding is instead siphoned into drugs aimed at male pleasure, despite there already being several high-quality treatments.

According to PubMed, there are currently over 2,000 trials focusing on erectile dysfunction, and a grand total of 300 on EVERY TYPE of female pain.

If you don’t believe that stigma and sexism is prevalent in healthcare, maybe question why it’s so easy for a man to walk out of a GP clinic with a prescription for Viagra, yet it takes a woman in excruciating pain nine years to get told she has endometriosis, a life-long illness.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Hannah Persyn (@_.merely.mystified.matter._) on

Since 1995, it has been confirmed that women experience stimuli at a more intense level than men.

Women have a proven different experience of pain than men, surely they deserve to be taken as seriously?

Yet society has conditioned women to ignore their pain, to handle it with clenched teeth and no complaints.

If you’re going to focus entirely on male pleasure, don’t ignore female pain, because it won’t be kept silent.

By Kate Brayden

Feature image: Instagram/@kdkatcricket

Trending

by

The fierce Lena Dunham is fighting for women everywhere, one nude photo at a time.

The influencer celebrated the nine-month anniversary of her hysterectomy with gorgeous photos of her body.

Posted on Instagram, her revealing portraits exposed the rawness of her painful experience over the past few years in a way that has resonated with women everywhere.

“I’ve never celebrated the 9 month anniversary of anything and I realized last night why that number feels so funny- I won’t ever do it the way I planned to.

“My body is mostly healed and every day I find a new bruise on my heart, but today I offer myself gratitude: from the most pained place, I somehow knew to choose myself.” 

 

Today is National Leathercraft Day, National Relaxation Day and National Lemon Merengue Pie Day. It’s also the 9 month anniversary of my hysterectomy. I’ve never celebrated the 9 month anniversary of anything and I realized last night why that number feels so funny- I won’t ever do it the way I planned to. My body is mostly healed and every day I find a new bruise on my heart, but today I offer myself gratitude: from the most pained place, I somehow knew to choose myself. The purest glint of who we are and know we can be is always available to us, calm and true at our center. My friend Paul named my uterus Judy, and when she was being uppity we called her out, hence the tattoo on my ribs, which hurt like fuck even through the pain meds: #RIPJudy. Today I give thanks for Judy, for her graceful exit and for this body, which is stronger than I’ve ever given it credit for. Happy Giving Birth To Myself Day.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

The American actress was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition where cells of endometrial-like tissue migrate outside of the uterus and attach to other places in the body.

These cells are structured to break down and bleed, but they cannot escape through a period if mislocated. This results in extreme pain that varies as hormone levels change, according to Endometriosis UK.

The condition affects one in ten women in the UK, and along with agonising pain, it often causes infertility.

After three hospitalisations within a year, Lena was unable to bear the terrible symptoms any further and decided to undergo a hysterectomy. She wrote about her life-changing experience in a moving letter.

“All along the way, a massive fear of mine was ‘being discovered,’ that someone would decide I wasn't strong enough for my work or my life because of what I dealt with physically and emotionally. But I am strong because of what I've dealt with.”

 

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

Now, the Girls star is reflecting on endometriosis in honour of her hysterectomy anniversary with a powerful statement.

“The purest glint of who we are and know we can be is always available to us, calm and true at our center,” she said in celebration of her health. Lena urged women to remember, no matter what we are going through, that we can always find ourselves through the pain and trauma. Somewhere buried under all that hardship is a strong and powerful woman capable of digging herself out.

The actress explained her friend named her uterus Judy, and Lena has a tattoo in tribute to her lost, physical symbol of womanhood that reads ‘RIP Judy’.

“Today I give thanks for Judy, for her graceful exit and for this body, which is stronger than I’ve ever given it credit for. Happy Giving Birth To Myself Day.”

But the courageous actress is clear to convey that a woman's femininity does not lie in her levels of estrogen or her functioning uterus. It is defined by her strength to carry on and fight for her true self to shine through whatever obstacles life throws her way.

Lena continues to be a bold advocate for women’s health and openly sharing about her chronic condition has helped raise awareness of endometriosis and it’s painful symptoms.

“I am no longer scared of my body,” she declared. “In fact, I listen to it when it speaks. I have no choice but to respect what it tells me, to respect the strength of its voice and the truth of my own.”

Trending