Sept 2007

When I was 16, my mom insisted that I go to the family Dr. and be tested as to why I hadn't started my period. It was very embarrassing for me to go, but mom took me. We waited a long time to get in and when we did finally get to see the Dr. he turned out all the lights, which scared me out of my wits, and preceded to check my eyes. My mom asked him what he was doing, and he informed her that he was giving me an eye exam. He thought that was what I was in there to see him about. Needless to say, I didn't go back as he didn't have the time to do the other exam after the eye check.

I was 18 or 19 and engaged to be married when my mom again suggested that I might need to get a check-up, if I was going to be married. So I went to a M.D. who lacked in a lot of bedside manner. I went to see him alone when he told me that as far as he could figure, I didn't have a uterus. I remember him not being kind at all when he told me this little tidbit. He sent me to the Sioux city, Iowa hospital for them to run some tests, which at this age I don't even remember what kind of tests they did.

The Dr. there confirmed what the other Dr had discovered and  I didn't have an uterus. Of course I was heart broken, called off all wedding plans and began the worst season of my life. The only thing I ever wanted with my life was to have a marriage and have babies. One part of me wanted to be married and wanted to prove I could still get a man, and the other part was anger. First of all at God, and second of all at whoever I came in contact with.

I did get married but for all the wrong reasons. More or less to prove that I could get a man. I experienced a lot of pain, but of course as a lot of people do, I listened to relatives who told me that I was probably trying to ovulate. Since the pain was always a pain in the stomach area.

During this time I was sent to Iowa City, Iowa Hospital where they checked me out and decided I needed to wear a vaginal dilator. I have no memory of anything that was told to me. I wore the piece, but it was so uncomfortable, I stopped it. I was immediately placed on hormones for 3 weeks out of the month and on the 3rd week I went off of them and had to take a shot. It really did a number to my emotional status and it wasn't pleasant. I stayed very depressed, cried a lot, and actually didn't have a clue as to why I was so moody all the time. Not long after that I got a divorce. All due to my life which was very unhappy.

In 1966 I was married and moved out of state and had to find someone who would continue the medication so went to see a Dr. here in Amarillo, Tx. He was appalled that I was on hormone therapy at my age, and took me completely off which helped tremendously with the mood swings.

Of course, I still wanted babies and my husband and I adopted 2 beautiful children. I wish I could say my marriage lasted, but it did not. We were married 23 years and got a divorce.

I am 65 years old and I am just now finding out through this website (www.mrkh.org) that I might  be able to pinpoint the reasoning behind a lot of the things I experienced emotionally. Never feeling like I was as good as anyone else, felt like everyone thought I couldn't get a man, etc. It carried on through with not feeling like I was smart. Thought I was the only one and no one would understand what I was going through. It has affected all areas of my thinking.

Recently I had gone to an Urologist because of a problem of frequent urination. Because of some uncomfortable issues I was experiencing he sent me to a Gynecologist After speaking with him and informing him that I was born without a uterus, he directed me to this website. (This was only after he informed me that I was the only patient he knew of, that was born with this and that he would need to study up on it. They were told about it during medical school, but had not had any dealings with it.)

How surprised I am to find out that hearing problems may be a side effect?? I am deaf in my left ear and have been since a child in grade school. How in the world would hearing loss have anything to do with being born without a uterus? The tests I have taken for hearing haven't showed the Dr anything as to why I can't hear.

I am happily married now and we have a wonderful family with my two and their families and my husband has 3 children. I do wish I would have known about this years ago so that I could have gotten help with the emotional end of it. It is a very heavy burden to carry when you receive news like this.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story,

Respectively,
Janie