Couresty of Nkem Osian
Nkem Osian works for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
She serves as secretary for The White Dress Project.
You have a blood level not conducive to life.
Couresty of Nkem Osian
Thats what the doctor told me after looking at my bloodwork.
It was 2015, and I was 29 years old.
This was the beginning of my journey with uterine fibroids.
Normalizing Painful Periods
As a Nigerian American, talking about reproductive health was always taboo.
It was humiliating, but what could I do?
That was just my life.
And then there were the clotsthey were the size of my fist and very painful to pass.
Still, I shrugged it off.
It was my sister, a physician, who finally pushed me to see my doctor.
We had attended church together on a weekend when she was in town.
After the service was over, I stood up, and to my horror, the seat was soiled.
We cleaned it up quickly, but my sister was understandably concerned.
Nkem, youre pale.
You literally look like you have no blood in your body, she said.
I knew she was right.
I had been pale for a while.
I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment as soon as I could.
That got my attention.
My heart was literally working in overdrive to compensate for the blood I lost through my menstrual cycle.
I had an emergency blood transfusion to prevent me from going into cardiac arrest.
Living With Uterine Fibroids
At this point, doctors found one large fibroid tumor on my uterus.
The word tumor was tough to take.
There are so many fears attached to that word.
I had so many different emotions running through my mind.
What does it mean to have a fibroid tumor?
Luckily, it didnt mean much at the time.
Then they told me to watch it and wait.
I was on oral birth control until 2017, when I switched to theDepo-Provera shot.
I honestly dont know how many I have right now.
But surgery doesnt stop the fibroids from growing back, and every surgery compromises your uterus a little more.
My diagnosis has revealed the culture of silence that so many of us live in regarding reproductive health.
Even my own mother, who had fibroids herself, initially brushed my diagnosis off.
She had dealt with it.
So in her mind, so could I.
But the assumption that this was normal almost cost me my life.
It may still cost me the chance to have children.
I just dont know.
Now, Im breaking the silence.
You shouldnt feel weak.
You shouldnt bleed for weeks.
There are options, and your doctor should listen to your concerns.
I got involved with theWhite Dress Projectto increase awareness of this widespread diagnosis.
Right now, there is no cure.
We dont know exactly what causes fibroids, and we wont unless more research is funded.
There is hope on the horizon.
