A young woman who often appears “pregnant” due to severe bloating was diagnosed with a little-known womb condition, after being told that having a baby might alleviate her pain.
Grace Almey, 21, has been battling painful and heavy periods since she started menstruating at the age of nine, sometimes bleeding for up to three weeks.
Despite numerous doctor visits and attempts with various contraceptive pills and the coil, her symptoms persisted. She also suffered from extreme bloating and emotional sensitivity, but was dismissed as being “sensitive”.
Even when she began experiencing back pain, gastrointestinal issues, and hair loss earlier this year, doctors were unable to identify the problem. It was only after a laparoscopy initially intended to diagnose endometriosis that she was found to have adenomyosis – a condition where the womb’s lining grows into its muscle wall.
Now, Grace, a HR worker from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, is living with the condition, as the only solution to her pain would be a hysterectomy. She said: “I’d often wake up with my stomach really swollen. It honestly looked like I was pregnant If some saw me they genuinely think I was pregnant.
“I was just an emotional wreck. I was told ‘you’re just sensitive.’ I was about 15 and they said there isn’t anything we can do. Normally we’d tell women to have a baby.”
Grace first started experiencing symptoms when her periods began at the age of nine. She recalls: “From the get go, I had really heavy periods and they were really painful. 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.”
However, by the time she reached 12, Grace was still battling with debilitating periods, which were so severe she often had to miss school. Reflecting on those difficult days, she shared: “I was constantly going through pads. My mum was constantly washing my sheets. Sometimes I’d just sit on the toilet to bleed.”
Initially given the pill to help regulate her cycles, Grace found that it did little to alleviate other troubling symptoms. She recounts trying various forms of contraception, including different types of combined pills, the injection, and the coil, but to no avail.
Describing the pain that extended beyond her periods, Grace said: “I started having really painful bowel movements – they’d make me sick and hot.”
“Every time you go to the doctors – you’re told there is not much we can do. You’re basically told to get on with it. You become used to it.”
Feeling as though every recommended treatment failed, Grace reached a point of resignation by age 18.
Throughout her ordeal, Grace was also advised on multiple occasions that having a baby could provide relief from her symptoms. She said: “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.”
(Image: SWNS)
Grace, who lived with her pain until it intensified in January 2024, faced further concerns when a scan revealed an ovarian cyst. Despite being told it would resolve on its own, the pain persisted, prompting a referral back to her GP.
She said: “I was having a lot of gastro problems – I couldn’t keep food down. My hair was falling out.”
With a 12-month wait for a colonoscopy, Grace opted to go private: “It was clear. I was really deflated.”
She continued, struggling from February to May. Hospitalised again in May due to severe period pain and finding an ultrasound procedure “unbearable” she was advised to have a laparoscopy, suspecting endometriosis.
Grace chose a private path once more for her surgery, which cost between £5,000 to £6,000. Post-operation, her doctor informed her: “He said we didn’t find any endometriosis. I was absolutely heartbroken.
(Image: SWNS)
“I wanted validation for my pain. Then he said, we think you have a condition called adenomyosis.”
Grace was recommended to try a progesterone-only pill, with a hysterectomy being the ultimate solution to end the pain. She explained: “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.”
Grace now tries to take each day as it comes and is trying a holistic approach such as 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.
She said: “I’m trying to live day by day. It alters your whole life.”
Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community
Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
