Masking the pain
THE HIDDEN ILLNESSES THAT CONTINUE TO GO UNDIAGNOSED
RAI JAYNE HEARSE is a fat, queer, autistic hermit from up north. @raijaynehearse
“Oh, well it’s a good job you’re lesbians then, isn’t it?” This is a common reply my wife Kitty and I get when we tell people that our illnesses might mean we’re unable to have children. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that queer women can also have a deep desire to not only be parents, but actually be pregnant.
But conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Endometriosis affect so much more than reproduction; they are endocrine disorders, which means they affect our hormones and therefore can affect every part of our lives. However, most sufferers only receive a diagnosis once they start to struggle with their fertility, which can mean that a lot of queer women never know they even have these conditions. Doctors, too, tend to treat these illnesses as reproductive issues, putting women on the pill and telling them to “come back when you want to get pregnant”. The pill appears to provide some relief but, in reality, it just masks the symptoms.