I looked six months pregnant due to painful condition – but the truth is heartbreaking
PERIODS can be a tricky time of the month, but one woman experienced bleeding so heavy, it looked like a murder scene.
Abigail Oleck-Hewett, 49, suffered with what she calls “blood bath” periods, which affected her relationships, work and her chance to have children.
The business owner from Surrey said her periods left her like a "shadow of her former self" as she experienced excruciating pain and crippling anxiety for two weeks of every month.
Her periods have also ripped away her chances of fulfilling her lifelong dream of carrying a baby, after doctors were forced to remove her womb this month to put an end to her suffering.
After experiencing abnormally heavy periods during her teenage years, Abigail was diagnosed with fibroids -- non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb.
According to the NHS, fibroids are quite common, with roughly one in three women developing them at some point in their life.
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In some cases further complications caused by fibroids can affect pregnancy or cause infertility.
After her diagnosis, Abigail chose not to have her fibroids removed as the surgical risks included infertility, and she wanted a family.
There are also risks that come with not having fibroids removed, however, Abigail claims she was not warned of these at the time.
“It’s a double-edged sword, as I didn’t know keeping fibroids could also interfere with conceiving and as they weren’t cancerous, I decided to get on with it,"; she explained.
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Aged 37, Abigail fell pregnant, but just seven weeks later she had a miscarriage.
"From then on, my periods went ballistic," she remembers.
“I think the periods were ten times worse than the miscarriage."
Over a 14-month period she visited the hospital four times due to the sheer amount of bleeding.
While there, her surgeon told her the pain was equivalent to going through labour for 72 hours.
"Each month, [my periods] continued to get worse and soon, they became unbearable, so I was advised to go on the pill and stop having a period all together.
“However, four months later, I flooded my entire bed and I phoned the doctor, who told me this was a typical side effect of the pill."
Abigail's periods and the pain they were causing began taking hold of her life.
The periods were ten times worse than the miscarriage
Abigail Oleck-Hewett
"It was incredibly isolating, I had to cancel plans with friends, clients and family as the pain was so unbearable," she said.
“I was sick for half of the month and as someone who owns a busy business, I lose so much money because I can’t work.
“I was starting to withdraw myself from people and I couldn't have a proper relationship with anyone as I don’t feel stable," she explained.
In a cruel turn of fate, the fibroids began to make her look like she was pregnant as they pushed up the organs in her stomach.
“I hated the way my body looks – everyone who didn't know me thought I was pregnant," she explained.
“Sometimes, I quite like it for a brief moment in time, as I rub my belly and think of what it would be like to be pregnant."
A few months after starting on the pill, Abigail's periods landed her in A&E again when she experienced some dangerously heavy bleeding.
“I walked downstairs to the bathroom and there was a pool of blood across the floor which looked like a murder scene," she said.
After being rushed to hospital, Abigail was told her fibroids had been left untreated for too long and she was left with just one option: a hysterectomy.
The surgery went well and medics managed to save Abigail's ovaries meaning she can still have children via surrogacy.
However, she won't be able to fulfil her dream of pregnancy and carrying a child herself.
FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE
Abigail hopes to pave the way for other women who also suffer with debilitating periods and fibroids.
She is speaking up to push the UK government to take notice and support people whose periods severely affect their day to day life.
“I’m done, this isn’t for me, but this will benefit my mental health as I know this will help others," Abigail explained.
“I want to be fighting for the future and this will give me the strength to know my pain was all worth it in the end.
“I’ve found information and comfort within the online community, but if I could go back to my former self, I would have pushed my GP for more advice.
“Take control over your own body and make informed decisions about your future – we need to stop the taboo on women’s problems.
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“We’re suffering in silence and hiding in bedrooms – it’s time to come out and shout about it.”
Abigail has launched a petition to call on the Government to better support women who experience problems with their periods, which you can .