Your Stories: Jennifer

When I was 31 my husband and I decided to try having a baby. After a year of trying, we went to my family doctor and that is when she found a cyst on my ovary.

Fast forward and after a few tests, my fertility doctor found that I had aged ovaries and barely any eggs left. I did my first lap with my gynaecologist and he opened me up and said he was unprepared at how bad it was and literally closed me back up because he didn’t have the tools to fix it.

He said I had stage 4 endometriosis and nothing was moving, it was all “locked” together. He referred me to someone with more experience and it has snowballed from there. I’ve now had a full hysterectomy with excision removing my undiagnosed adenomyosis. I am waiting to see if I will now need a bowel resection as they were unable to remove endo off of my bowel as it had grown through and is squeezing my intestines. I am 37, four surgeries in and more tests then I can imagine.

have realised that I have ignored symptoms since I was about 12. I had always just figured I had extra weight and that was to blame. Plus, girls are supposed to have horrible periods right??? I was just too tough and stubborn to go to the doctor. This illness has robbed me of the ability to have my own kids, I can’t participate in a lot of activities. I miss sports, trying new workouts and running around with my step kids. I used to be so physical. This has all, in turn, caused me to fall into a depression which I’m currently fighting and winning!

F*ck you endo!

Follow Jennifer on Instagram @jemkendalls