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Living with uterine fibroids can significantly impact a woman’s life. It can affect the way in which they dress, cause low self-esteem and even infertility.

Uterine fibroids is a common medical condition that affects women of childbearing age, especially black women. They live with uterine fibroids for years before diagnosis due to little or no warning signs.

Women who develop symptoms experience heavy or prolonged periods, abdominal pain and bloating, which is often overlooked as part of their menstrual period.

Popular social media sensation, Juliet Angelique Boldley, otherwise known as Julie Mango in a YouTube video, shared her journey living with uterine fibroids after having 25 of them removed.

“I was not officially diagnosed with fibroids many years ago, but I know I had them for fifteen years, because I would always feel a bulge in my tummy, even with exercise and dieting and going to the gym, there was always this bump in the base of my belly that I couldn’t get rid of even when I was skinny, in my twenties,” Juliet shared.

After ignoring the first warning sign of uterine fibroids, In 2016, Juliet later started to experience heavy menstrual bleeding and bloating. She shared that this experience impacted how she dressed, her self-confidence, and her dating life.

“I couldn’t live a normal life, I had to monitor everything around the fibroids. Whenever I have hosting gigs, I would wear some nice cute dresses that normally I would wear by themselves but because the tummy is protruding, I would just wear a jacket over it so just to cover, I couldn’t tie my shoe lace, I couldn’t run. There were times when I was showering and I couldn’t see my lower parts, so it was reeking havoc on my life”, she said.

Diagnosis and mental health

After visiting a gynaecologist at the Midwest Center for Women’s Healthcare in the United States, Juliet was hit with the harsh news that she had had twelve fibroids, and would need to have her uterus removed.

“Of course, when I heard that I cried because I am only 41 years old. Yes, I know that my prime child-bearing years have gone but I don’t want to feel less of a woman. I don’t want to walk on the road and feel like I am just less of a woman,” she shared.

The social mediation sensation, who is also diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, a mental illness that severely impacts a person’s ability to manage their emotions shared that the news of having to remove her uterus brooked her spirit and sent her into a depressive state.

A twist of faith

Juliet who is also a mental health advocate was contacted by Dr Micheal Abrahams, an obstetrician and gynaecologist (OBGYN) to collaborate on a mental health project. However, little did she know that this was a blessing in disguise.

“He realised that I am a mental health advocate, and so is he. We both suffer from depression. And so he reached out to me for us to collab,” she shared.

While collaborating on the project, it was not long before Dr Abrahams learned of Juliet’s health condition and offered to have the myomectomy done without having to remove her uterus.

“I chose Dr Abrahams because of how in touch he is with mental health. I struggle with anxiety, and with this surgery for me, I thought I was going to die. Some doctors, when you ask them too many questions they get very annoyed and I couldn’t deal with that. Because the more a person is annoyed with me, the more anxiety I get and with Dr Abrahams he understood that,” she explained.

The pre and post-surgery phases can be challenging for many people, and this was no different for Juliet. However, with the support of good friends the process was easier.

Reflecting on the journey of her surgery, Juliet shared that ” We went in thinking that it was twelve fibroids only to realise it twenty-five. Each time a fibroids is removed there is bleeding, and the more the fibroids is situated inside the uterus and not necessarily inside the uterus there is more bleeding. And because where mine was the risk of bleeding out was too high and that’s why the US doctors didn’t want to touch it.”

After losing more than two litres of blood during the surgery, Juliet was required to do a blood transfusion.

As Juliet reflected on her journey during surgery she shared that initially, she was scared and heartbroken that her body was not about to produce its own blood to sustain itself, however, the blood transfusion went well and is now living fibroids-free.

While noting that there are different lifestyle choices that contribute to fibroids, a grateful Juliet noted that she does not regret having surgery done and will be now altering her diet to lead a healthy life.

WATCH: REMOVING 25 FIBROIDS FROM MY UTERUS| MYOMECTOMY SURGERY

READ: Uterine fibroids: What are the risk factors?

READ: Fibroids: signs and symptoms

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