Let’s start with the classic: What’s your worst, funniest, or most awkward period story?

Probably when I realised at 2am one evening that I had run out of any and all supplies after bleeding through in the night. There was no way I was going to wake up my flatmates at the time and ask and so I panicked and just lay down one of those puppy pee pads on my mattress to sleep on. Didn’t work at all and I was at Kmart the next day buying new sheets.

What have you demystified about your female body that you wish you knew when you were younger?

I think a lot of things would have been different for me if I had known the amount I was bleeding wasn’t “normal” . I was never really told what was typical and when I tried to ask I was just told I must just have a heavy period. Typical is 30-40 mls per period but I can bleed that or more in one day. I think if I had known that when I was younger or been able to communicate that better, I could’ve received a diagnosis earlier.

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 Uterus Didelphys (UD). This means I have two completely separate uteruses and two cervixes. Some women with UD also have two vaginal canals but I do not. I also had a 15cm ovarian dermoid cyst which took up a large portion of my abdominal cavity and threatened my life. My Uterus Didelphys was discovered essentially by accident. I’ve always had issues with my cycle, bleeding heavily and bloating. But in May of 2023 I began having discomfort sitting down and moving around normally. This was especially obvious at work as I’m an ECE teacher working in the nursery and a lot of our time is spent down on the ground at the children's level. Although I was determined to just tough it out my team leader and friend Emma was having none of that. She told me to head straight to the urgent care and get checked out. 6 hours later the cyst causing the pain was found and my scan had picked up potential UD. 3-4 hours after that I was being taken back for emergency surgery to remove the cyst that was not just causing me pain, but threatening my life. The cyst was slowly leaking into my abdomen and the contents were poisoning me. My surgeon had hoped to remove it laparoscopically but due to its size (15cm) and location I was left with two small incisions and a much larger “c-section” incision between my hips. During surgery is also when they confirmed I did in fact have Uterus Didelphys. In this surgery I lost my ovary and also one fallopian tube, meaning only one of my uteruses now has any capacity to carry a pregnancy.

What was your diagnosis experience like?

When I first developed the pain I mentioned in May, I called HealthLine. At first I called my lovely Mum, Tracey. My Mum is no doctor but with her own extensive journey with reproductive health and chronic health issues, she almost always has an answer or some advice. Mum was pretty concerned and suggested I go to my doctor. However, my GP was booked out for weeks, so HealthLine was the next best thing. The HealthLine nurse told me it sounded like a UTI. I explained I had no pain while going to the loo, no burning, no blood in my urine etc. but I was advised to drink some cranberry juice and take a panadol. This still infuriates me to this day.

Once I eventually made my way to urgent care I will say everything was dealt with very quickly. My concerns were heard, and after an abdominal palpation which left me screaming in pain and almost punching my poor nurse I was taken very seriously. The team did blood work to rule out appendicitis and immediately booked me in for a scan at a hospital nearby which they taxied me to. My friend Indy then helped me get to the main city hospital and my partner Tama met us there. 

I was advised to go to the emergency room, explain myself, get some more pain relief and then I would be transfered up to OB-GYN for surgery. However in the ER I was told they had no comms to say I was on my way and when I asked for more of the pain relief given at urgent care (tramadol) it was implied I was drug seeking and that I should be fine with a panadol. 

The OB-GYN surgery team dealt with my cyst incredibly and I will never fault them on that. I was treated with care and dignity and believed every step of the way. However when it came to the Uterus Didelphys I found that every single doctor had a different opinion or idea on what this meant for me, my fertility and the future. I was told everything from I was likely infertile to this will have no impact whatsoever. From ‘yeah you have heaps of time to build your whanau’ all the way to ‘if you want to have children you should have them immediately or there's little chance’. I watched on more than one occasion, a doctor pull out a phone or iPad and pull up an internet search to answer my question with a confused and unsure look on their face. Overall my diagnosis experience has been a whirlwind and overall if I had one word it would be…confusing.

How has your condition changed your daily life?

In the aftermath of the surgery daily life and routines went out the window. My incredible partner Tama essentially became my home nurse, helping me shower, stand, and get up and down the stairs of our townhouse. This was incredibly humbling and a huge change in relationship dynamic. Himself along with my close friends and family also had to help me through the mental gymnastics of understanding what had just happened and what was next.

Nowadays I would say the biggest daily impact is on my worldview. About a year after surgery I suffered a miscarriage. Women with UD have a much higher chance of miscarriage, which we knew, but it was completely devastating all the same. The way I view the world and my body is completely different now. I have always been a very hopeful person but being faced with adversity after adversity it now honestly feels like the universe is against me. I also panic at any small twitch or pain or feeling in my body, thinking that something is going to be drastically wrong. Continuing to try and grow our whanau, whilst exciting, is also tainted with fear and worry for my own health and the health of any future pepi. Tama and I lean on each other a lot to navigate all these confusing emotions because everything is so uncertain.

I do feel though, that this journey has made me a better kaiako (teacher). I am so keenly aware of the fact that every child I have the privilege of teaching and caring for is truly a treasure and gift to their whanau.

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

Pressure and some internal pain during sex. Bloating that never really stuck to a certain time in my cycle. Unmanageable bleeding during my period.

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

I’ve had some success with Myo-Inisitol to help regulate my cycles. This is usually most effective with women who have PCOS but I have found for some reason it helps keep my cycle in check and more predictable. I generally just feel a bit better when I’m taking it.

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

I wish more people understood just how under-researched and under-funded women's health issues are. Is UD rare, yes. Does that mean it's okay in 2025 to still be getting 8 different answers to a question I have, no. Some of the doctors and specialists I’ve seen do seem to genuinely want to help. But when they turn to research or textbooks to find me an answer they come up short. Because the research simply hasn't been done, at least not enough research. This leaves women walking out of appointments where they were supposed to get answers, with more questions than when they came in. My life and future feels confusing and uncertain and that is partly because society seems to care less about issues that exclusively affect female bodies. I wish people understood just how disheartening and traumatising that can be. 

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

That her body is a little different and that may be hard to come to terms with. But that finding out it IS different will answer so many little questions and worries she dismissed and pushed away. Also to kick up a fuss and make some noise before it gets to the point where her life is on the line.

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

I’m still figuring this out if I’m really honest. I feel like I avoid and detach any time my body feels hard to live in. I disconnect from my body and feel a lot of resentment towards it. Usually when I’m feeling this way I turn to nurturing my mind and heart to distract from how I’m feeling about my body. I go and spend time with my friend Mez, someone who knows all the ins and outs of my journey and who I can tell anything to. I curl up on the couch with my partner Tama and game with him or cry all over him about how terrible everything feels. I facetime my whanau back home and get taken all around the house by my little nephew who I cannot possibly feel sad around. I call my Mum or my Dad or sister Brenna because they always hear me out and care so deeply. Surrounding myself with the people I treasure is how I take care of myself. Without them I would have never made it through the last two years of both physical and mental battles. I owe them everything.