Michelle Watts, a 37-year-old woman from Australia, recently opened up about her struggle with heavy menstrual bleeding. This debilitating condition kept her from working for a year and a half starting in 2021. Michelle’s care was led by Dr. Talat Uppal, a gynaecologist and director at Women’s Health Road, an expert in women’s health. After multiple failed medical treatments, she had a uterectomy or hysterectomy, their uterus removed. Her story highlights just how important it is to raise awareness and change the language when it comes to heavy menstrual bleeding. This hidden condition affects nearly 1 in 4 people who menstruate.
She told us that heavy menstrual bleeding limits a woman’s ability to work, care for her family and live her life. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) considers it as excessive menstrual blood loss. This debilitating condition can cause debilitating complications like iron deficiency, impacting two-thirds of people who have it. For Michelle, life as she knew it was turned upside down. She often had to change into a new outfit three times a day due to leaking, interfering with her everyday activities and causing her to miss out on a ski trip.
I would run out the door, but then I’d get all stressed out,” Michelle remembered. … I’d have to return and retrofit again. Her emotional toll was equally severe. I was so emotionally drained, I would just go home and break down in tears. I would tell myself, I just can’t do this anymore, because it was killing my entire life.
While heavy menstrual bleeding is widespread, fewer than half of the women affected by it get treatment. Dr. Uppal is on a mission to redefine that narrative. Follow her as she fights to improve the language surrounding this condition, addressing women’s physical and emotional worries. Dr. Uppal explained that for a long time, medical research has systematically excluded women. In many instances, even the lab animals employed were overwhelmingly male. She wants to do her part to help fix this historical injustice in research and treatment.
First, she’d like to get people to shift the narrative when it comes to heavy bleeding. She highlighted the costly legacy of discrimination resulting from the exclusion of women in this field. She thinks that the stigma around talking about heavy menstrual bleeding is very much tied to cultural ideas of menstruation. She said heavy menstrual bleeding is an issue little talked about. It’s not a conscious decision, it’s just the cultural aspect that this topic is not prioritized.
The Australian government has also recently hailed a $793 million investment in women’s health as a step towards addressing inequity. Advocates worry that this funding will not be targeted directly to address heavy menstrual bleeding. To address this, Dr. Uppal highlights the need for increased awareness surrounding heavy menstrual bleeding. He takes particular aim at the tendency to normalize this condition when it is not acceptable.
It’s just been so normalized — and I don’t think it should be. I don’t think it’s normal, Michelle asserted. Her story is incredible testament to what knowledge and understanding can do to change lives. After her uterectomy, Michelle experienced a massive rush of hope and relief. As she put it, “I am back being active in skiing, running & swimming! I can go bike, hike, do all the things I like to do — no problem!
Katrina Ebril, Interoperability Lead at the Australian e-Health Research Centre of CSIRO, backs Dr Uppal’s endeavours to the hilt. Together, they’re hoping to shift the dialogue around heavy menstrual bleeding treatment options. Ebril said, “This procedure is essentially a uterectomy. Let’s stop kidding ourselves and start using less euphemistic language.”
As awareness grows, both Dr. Uppal and Ebril are striving to shift perceptions and encourage women to seek treatment without fear or stigma. Further, they work to support and normalize conversations about heavy menstrual bleeding. Their mission is to foster an atmosphere where talking about women’s health issues is easy and organic.
