A 21-year-old woman who looked so bloated she appeared ‘pregnant’ was allegedly advised that having a baby might relieve her pain. Grace Almey, from Scunthorpe, Licolnshire, has always battled with painful and heavy periods, which would sometimes last for three weeks straight.
Despite numerous doctor visits and trying various contraceptives, nothing relieved her agony. Her severe bloating and emotional turmoil were reportedly dismissed by doctors as mere sensitivity.
“From the get go, I had really heavy periods and they were really painful,” she explained. “Sometimes they’d last for three weeks. My mum kept taking me to the doctors but at that age they just said it would settle.
“…I was about 15 and they said: ‘There isn’t anything we can do. Normally we’d tell women to have a baby’.” She later added: “One said ‘we know you are young but if you decide to have a baby that does help’. It’s bad narrative that having a baby will solve gynaecological issues.”
It was earlier this year that Grace also developed back pain, gastrointestinal issues, and hair loss, but doctors still couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Eventually, she underwent a laparoscopy, as experts believed she may have endometriosis.
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However, the procedure instead revealed adenomyosis—a condition where the womb lining grows into the muscle wall. “He said we didn’t find any endometriosis,” Grace explained. “I was absolutely heartbroken. I wanted validation for my pain.Then he said we think you have a condition called adenomyosis.”
The only definitive solution to end her agony, as she was advised, is a hysterectomy – the removal of the womb. This would mean she’d stop having periods and also wouldn’t be able to conceive.
She said: “It’s localised in the uterus and womb – you have it until you have a hysterectomy. It’s the only way to ‘cure’ it. It’s bittersweet to know there is something to help but it’s not possible at a young age.
“I’ve got to live with this until I’m willing to have a hysterectomy.”
Now, Grace tries to take each day as it comes and is exploring holistic methods to cope. This includes avoiding alcohol and ultra processed foods. She has also been referred for pelvic floor physiotherapy to see if the tightness in her muscles has been adding to her pain.
“I’m trying to live day by day. It alters your whole life,” she said.