I'm Ready to Talk About My Uterus - A Story of Periods, Pregnancies & a Hysterectomy
Episode 46 - June 17th, 2021
I’m ready to talk about my uterus.
When I recorded Episode 43, We Need to Talk About the Uterus, I had no intention of sharing the details of my story. Honestly. I prefer sharing other people’s stories. But I can’t use this platform to encourage people to speak up and start conversations if I am not willing to do it myself. So here I go…with my uterus.
What I didn’t realize along the way was how much the culture around me influenced how I spoke or didn’t speak about things, how those influences made me feel about my own body, and how all of it impacted my actions.
- To my limited education about my own biology
- To concern for my career if I spoke about family planning
- To silence around pregnancy loss
- To accepting medical gaslighting
- To questioning my own intentions while seeking medical support
- To a final sense of relief when doctors confirmed my pain was real
My story includes a lot of topics that are taboo and triggering. I know some listeners have faced or are still facing these challenges. I appreciate all of you who have messaged me to share your stories after the last uterus episode. I hope the continuation of my story is helpful for someone out there.
This episode starts with some background about my uterine health, including stories of pain and stories of joy. Then you will hear a clip I recorded the day of my surgical consultation when he recommended a hysterectomy. I jumped in the sound booth to journal how I felt and what I was processing about that treatment path.
Next, modern-day Meghan will jump back in to talk through the week before surgery,
surgery, recovery and more, before closing with some much needed thank yous.
Episode Tangents include
- Starting my period
- My dad buying feminine hygiene products
- First pelvic exam
- Painful Periods as a teenager
- Trying oral contraceptive pill
- Regulating periods
- Trying to get pregnant
- Miscarriage
- Discovering Fibroids
- Keeping loss a secret
- Balancing family planning & work
- Fertility support
- Full term pregnancies & c-sections
- Medical gaslighting leads to seeking a second opinion about fibroids
- Mansplained about my fibroids by female gynaecologist
- Surgical consultation: Hysterectomy versus Myomectomy
- Relief when doctor confirmed my pain
- Hysterectomy surgery & recovery
The Stories of Joy
The Stories of Pain
This episode includes the story of my first miscarriage.
It was 2 days before my 30th birthday, I was at the gym before work with my friend David (Ep. 15) and I went from feeling rundown to laying on the ground. Lisa and Ann-Marie rushed me to the hospital and kept my secret.
Within hours of my loss, I was planning my cover up story. I did not want people to know about my miscarriage for many reasons you can hear in the episode.
I have slowly told people over the last 6 years but now I am ready to join the conversation publicly.
What Makes a Baby
This is the book I used to have conversations about my uterus with my kids. This book also shows how babies are born in a very kid friendly way, which includes c-sections. I used that page to show what surgery looks like. I told them, “I have an owa on my inside. My uterus is kaputt and the doctors with make a little cut to take it out.”
Since I got home from the hospital, my kids have been awesome and very understanding of my physical limitations. My son wants to check my incisions and my daughter encourages me to rest.
Related Episodes
period struggles, fertility, hysterectomy, fibroids awareness, hysterectomy recovery, hystersister, postop recovery, laproscopic surgery, holistic health, womens health, female health, uterus, uterus problems, uterine fibroids, diagnosis, adhesions, fibroids, fibroid surgery, endometriosis, endo, periods, period health, advocate for yourself, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, fertility support
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