What have you demystified about your female body that you wish you knew when you were younger?
That just because I don't have a uterus doesn't mean that I'm not a woman. Early in my diagnosis as I was researching, articles kept coming up saying that people with MRKH aren't women, they are men either - they are intersex. I had no clue what that meant, but that I wasn't a woman. There is a common saying in movies and feminist movements that says "No uterus, no opinion." This made me see myself as not worthy or meeting the standards to call myself a woman. This honestly destroyed my self identity and worth. But as I learnt more about the female body, it because clear to me that having a uterus isn't the only identifier of being a woman.

Have you been diagnosed with a women’s health condition? If so, how did you know something wasn’t right, and what was your journey like to get answers?

I have been diagnosed with both MRKH and PCOS. My MRKH diagnosis was a process that took over a year. I was 16 and still hadn't got my period, so I went to the doctors just in case something was wrong. They checked me and did blood tests and everything came back normal. I was referred to a gynecologist who, instead of ordering an ultrasound or MRI, took one look at me and said I hadn't got my period because I was "too fat." I have always been more on the heavier side, but I knew other girls who were my size who had gotten their period at 13. So, I went on an unhealthy journey to lower my BMI to a "healthy" level, eating too little and exercising too much. When I went back at a "healthy" weight with still no period, I then got scans done which confirmed that I had no uterus and an underdeveloped vagina. It wasn't until I was scrolling on TikTok a few years later that I discovered what I had was MRKH. My PCOS journey waes a bit different, as I don't have a period to know if it was irregular. I noticed some common symptoms of PCOS and underwent both a blood and spit test to confirm my PCOS.

What was your diagnosis experience like?

My diagnosis experience was traumatic, long and frustrating. I was only a teenager at the time of my diagnosis, so my parents got the final say on anything related to me medically. After receiving the news of having what I now know as MRKH, my mum immediately started crying, so myself and my gynaecologist spent the remainder of my appointment trying to console her. The gynaecologist asked whether I wanted more information on potential paths forward, such as dilation, to which my mum immediately said "no" to - so I was just discharged without any follow up. As a 16 year old who just got told she will never carry her own child, this was a lot. Doctors didn't really take me serious as it was anything life threatening, and due to the way that my mum reacted, I didn't want to push for any sort of follow up beyond the diagnosis. Every medical specialist who I saw said that they have never seen this before, but they didn't really take me serious due to my age. 

How has your condition changed your daily life?

My MRKH has more affected my relationships, especially with my family. As soon as they knew, they were walking on eggshells around me. Anytime the subject of marriage came up among family conversations, it would only ever be about my sister. This made me feel like my MRKH disqualified me from ever being in a romantic relationship. My PCOS has more effected my energy levels and my weight - no matter how good I eat and how much I exercise, I still manage to put on weight. Most of my family don't know about my PCOS, and I have had so many comments about my weight and how I need to 'make a change' - comparing me to my sister who is smaller than me. It makes me feel so heavy and gross about myself. 

What symptoms made you think something wasn’t right with your body?

The obvious one was not getting my period. But for my PCOS, it was mainly me doing all the 'healthy' things and nothing with my body was changing. It was my sister who said that it could be PCOS, and once she said that I started noticing other things (such as excessive hair around my chin) that is a symptom of PCOS.

Have you tried anything that has helped you manage your symptoms?

I haven't tried anything for my MRKH, but I have tried medication and supplements for my PCOS, as well as focusing on more PCOS friendly exercise (slow movement while building muscle, rather than high intensity), and unfortunately haven't noticed any changes.

What’s one thing you wish more people understood about women’s health?

I think that having a uterus isn't the only thing that makes you a women. 1 in 5000 women have MRKH, which is pretty common when you think about it. A lot of things said online about women and feminism talk about 'if you don't have a uterus, then we don't want your opinion.' Especially with someone who is newly diagnosed with MRKH, it can really hurt their self identity as a woman and self worth.

If you could tell younger you one thing about your body, what would it be?

That you won't have any idea why you feel this way in it, but that is ok. Not knowing why you feel a certain way is pretty common, and there are so many factors to figuring out key problems in your health that it will take a while. 

When your body feels hard to live in, how do you take care of yourself?

I get my body moving - whether its a weight training session or a walk along the beach, it reminds me how much my body is capable of and how much I should be grateful for it.