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As Shannon Shelton Miller reports
September is the month of consciousness for gynecological cancer
I worked in February 2019 when my obstetric gynecologist called me and asked me if I could speak for a moment.
“I would prefer not to do this by phone, but it’s very serious,” he said. “You have endometrium cancer in stage 1 and I will refer to an oncologist.”
It was shocked. I was only 24 years old and although I experienced most of my youth and adult life in connection with the reproductive cycle, I would never have imagined that they would diagnose cancer.
The high school always had irregular menstrual times, which sometimes lasted between 10 and 12 days. At the university I started gain weight, acne and excess facial hair. After consulting the campus and my family doctor, I only received standard advice to reduce weight and change my diet. I tried to explain that my eating habits had not changed and that I still increased the weight and didn’t know what to do.
I finally had advice with a new obstetric gynecologist near my house in Richmond, Virginia, who asked me about my symptoms. He told me that these were frequent signs of polycystic ovarian syndrome or SOP. I was glad to have an answer, but I wondered why nobody proposed two or three years ago.
I remember that he told me that the SOP could not be healed, and in my thoughts I had no reason to examine a lot about it. I assumed that I should only check it, but they did not state the measures that I had to implement to reduce weight or fix the symptoms, apart from the use of contraceptives. I had previously taken contraceptives and didn’t like how I felt when I took her, so I decided not to do it.
A year later my symptoms became more serious. I had swelled in my stomach for months and started again. At the end of December 2018 I wanted to have advice with the medical supplier who diagnosed me with the SOP, but I was on vacation. I had advice with another doctor for about five minutes, a white man. I had the feeling that I hardly listened to what I told him and they didn’t do the ultrasound or the other evidence that I had requested.
“It is impossible for them to have cancer,” he said. “Everything is OK”.
But I knew something was wrong. The swelling of my stomach never disappeared and had the look of a pregnant woman. I called the office again in January and planned a consultation with my obstetric gynecologist, who requested an ultrasound and other evidence. When he received the picture, he said he was concerned about what he saw and asked a D and C.
When he called me five days after the consultation, I worked as a teacher in front of the kindergarten of a primary school and went to the teacher’s room to speak. The doctor told me that they had endometrium cancer, a kind of uterine cancer, and wanted to see if she could have advice with an oncologist on the same day. I told him yes and called my family. My mother, my father and my brother came to get me for advice.
At that time I started to feel a lot of frustration. Obviously I was frustrated with all this experience, but when the oncologist asked if I ever took contraceptives for my SOP, he told me that I should have done it because this could have prevented cancer. If I had known that, I would have implemented this measure and would also have known that I had a SOP before I had more time to address it.
2025 (photo/Keith Nixon)
Instead, I had discussions about the survival rate of endometrium cancer, the preservation of my fertility and medical surveillance for the rest of my life. It was difficult for me not to suddenly unable to have children or to hear that when they treated me and cancer appeared again, I should go through a complete hysterectomy. My mother also had cancer at the same time, she was diagnosed six months earlier, so we had very serious conversations about death.
The oncologist said I did not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation because I was very young and my cancer was not at an advanced stage. I underwent hormonal therapy that consisted of two pills in the morning and two at night. My body affected a lot, I increased 25 pounds weight, ate all the time and yet I was always hungry. I felt very uncomfortable.
After my treatment, I keep monitoring consultations with my oncologist to ensure that the cancer has not reappeared. He had to have the consultations so often because he was very young for this specific type of cancer, which was normally diagnosed for women with menopause.
I decided not to have cancer destroyed all my dreams. In the month after my diagnosis I traveled to Cuba and then to the Joshua Tree National Park. My medical team helped me to develop a plan for my life for cancer, from monitoring to the preservation of my fertility when I am ready to have children. In 2020 I frozen my eggs if I have to use them later. Thinking about what I wanted to do in the future gave me soothing.
Last year I founded the Uterus Care Collaborative, an initiative to clarify black women about uterine cancer, fibroids, endometriosis and SOP. It is a virtual community center in which women can learn something about these disorders, how to control them and how to have conversations with the women of their family over their family medical background. I hope that the collaboration of the Uterine Care becomes a platform on which women can learn and feel comfortable while they have these conversations that may save lives.
In my ability as a communicator of public health, my message is that it is critical to take care of yourself, especially for black women because we have to combat a system that does not always listen to us, involves or incorporates research and clinical studies. It is important to say women: “EPA, if you have these symptoms and this happens to you in the office, you don’t have to accept it. Let someone evaluate it.” If the answer is not satisfied, you will receive a second opinion.
I’ve always been a religious and very happy person. I can’t spend the rest of my life worried about the possibility that my cancer reappears or whether I will bleed again for eight months or anything else that can happen. Last month it was very exciting when my oncologist told me that I could finally do every six months instead of all three consultations, but I accept that I only have control over the things I can control.
Now I’m 31 years old and I know that my story is not over yet. In the end, everything is in the hands of God.
This educational resource was created with Merck’s support.
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