‘My periods were controlling MY LIFE'

For nearly 20 years, Donna Louise, 41, had to fit her life around painful, heavy bleeding while searching for a solution...

- ALI HORSFAL

Working out and playing sports makes me feel good, and my perfect holidays are packed with high-energy activities. So when heavy periods took over my life, it was giving up these things that I love most that hit me hardest.

I started suffering in my late 20s, and it wasn’t long before heavy bleeding and clots became ‘normal’ for me. I’d get severe cramps that had me curled up in a ball. I just assumed I was unlucky. By my mid-30s, this was having a huge impact on my life. I couldn’t understand why most women didn’t go through what I did month after month.

I went back and forth to the doctors and they sent me for a scan. Fibroids were seen under the lining of my womb, and I was relieved to finally find the cause. But it certainly wasn’t a smooth journey to get it sorted. In fact, things just got worse.

The fibroids grew

The first line of treatment for fibroids is to be fitted with the Mirena coil. It contains progesterone that can shrink fibroids and make periods lighter. Unfortunately, my body rejected the device three times. The position of my fibroids meant the coils were struggling for space and were pushed out. On one occasion, I didn’t even realise it had gone until I went for a check-up.

As my fibroids grew and grew, the bleeding and clots increased. I’d have to use a super-plus tampon along with the thickest night-time pad and wear a pair of special period-proof knickers, too. Even with this, I’d regularly leak.