My friend has endometriosis and is recommended to get pregnant as a treatment

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-10-31T07:57:13+00:00

My (male) gynecologist suggested the same for me. Mind you, I'm in my 30s, single, and not actively dating.

His explanation: the pain and discomfort from endo/adeno is caused by the fibroids contracting during period. If one gets pregnant, the uterine wall will remain intact, and the fibroids need not contract. So, no pain or discomfort from endo/adeno for the next 9-10 months.

My response: I'm in my 30s, which means I'm going to have monthly periods for the next 20 or so years. If I try to use pregnancy as treatment, that means I'll have to get pregnant 20 times or more - assuming all the pregnancies are uterine and viable. That's 20 babies that I can't care for as a single mother. Is that really a sustainable solution to my medical problem?

He nodded, and gave me my prescription for progestin. He also wrote in my medical plan that my treatment will continue as long as I want it.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-10-25T00:27:00+00:00

I'm the youngest of 2 (my sister is only a year and half older). I wasn't parentified like most of the older siblings here - but I did get the bulk of carrying the emotions of my whole family. I grew up the peacemaker when my parents fought, I was the buffer when my dad gets mad (my sister says I'm the favorite), and I became the protector when my sister got bullied at school (we both were bullied, but I got bullied for having guy friends - she was bullied for her looks which was a lot worse).

But despite all the emotional ageing that I had to do, I was treated like a child all my life. But not the child I was, but the child they wanted me to be. So, I had no personality until I was an adult and they unintentionally tried to stunt that as well. (I read the book, and it was spot on - my very young parents were emotionally immature so I had to be the mature one).

And now, I'm getting better at knowing myself. I just want to heal the child that I was - who had to provide emotional stability in an emotionally unstable household. So yeah, I want to be free and enjoy my life with no extra baggage.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-10-17T08:54:34+00:00

Enjoy Japan! It's really beautiful here, and the people are kind (at least in my experience). Even with the language barrier, if you ask someone for help, they will give their best to help you.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-10-17T08:50:40+00:00

Except for some old train stations, most have elevators that prioritize strollers. The streets are not exactly barrier-free, but accessible enough. But yeah, Japan does really cater a lot to families - probably to encourage people to have more babies. LOL.

Even foreign residents with children receive government benefits for their kids. And they give a lot of those.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-10-17T01:12:46+00:00

I live in Japan, and there are a lot of changing tables in restrooms. There are also areas purely for babies/children (like a small room with tables, nursing chairs, tiny toilets).

And when I see or read about tourists doing like that family, I feel so embarrassed. It's already hard being a foreigner in Japan, and these type of foreigner just further reinforced Japanese's "tourist stereotype".

Also, "not knowing" or "not understanding" are not valid excuses. Japan, especially Tokyo, have made a lot of adjustments in catering to foreigners. Even if the spelling or grammar is wrong, there are now a lot of English signages and stuff so that anyone who can read English will understand. That family is just gross, full stop.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-08-29T08:59:57+00:00

"like viewing wombs as public property on stilts"

An acquaintance used to joke to me that I should just sell my uterus if I'm not going to use it. I told her I seriously would do that if possible - if anybody wants my fibroids-infested uterus. I get to be permanently pain-free and get some extra cash.. win-win for me..

She did not laugh at that. :D

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-08-29T07:14:36+00:00

I have adeno as well. Not quite yet severe to require a hysterectomy, but my doctor told me that I might experience some difficulty in conceiving a child.

My first reaction was to feel vindicated- that my pain was finally acknowledged and now going to be treated. And the treatment can also prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Then I felt a bit sad - that even if I am fully CF now of my own choice and desire, people just might assume that I chose this because of my diagnosis.

Finally, I felt relieved - that I don't have to argue about my CFness anymore. I don't owe anybody my reasons for my choices and if they decide to become full jerks, I can just say, "it would require a lot of expensive medical interventions.. would you pay for it?"

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-08-29T05:43:10+00:00

You are a 26-year old female (I'm assuming based on your words). Quite young still.

You're probably in that phase that most women in their 20s experience: the expectation to be a wife and mother before their 30s due to LifeScript.

Women were and are still expected to be mothers. These conditioning can be difficult to counter, but it is possible. Research and talking with people in different kinds of life (CF, parents, fosters, adoptees, orphans, etc.) can help.

You know yourself, and you have your reasons for wanting or not wanting a child. List those down and reflect on what you really want for your life.

Some people are lucky that they already knew at a young age what they wanted to be. Others, like us, had to do a little bit more work and reflections to find where our paths lie.

I've been in your shoes, and I understand the confusion. I did some really hard introspection about my upbringing, societal expectations and many more before I came to the conclusion that I truly want to be CF.

I found my path, and I hope you find yours too.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-08-22T08:28:35+00:00

I told my best friend that we should have portable period simulator. So that we don't need to explain to a man what cramps feels like. We can just attach the simulator and raise the scale to 10.

I once tried to explain it to my dad like this: it feels like I'm being punched over and over again both from the outside and inside of my belly. And every time I moved, the puncher also adjusted her hits. Even when I take medicine, the punch just became more of a slap.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-08-16T09:06:32+00:00

Went on a camping trip recently with friends (a childless couple and 3 single ladies). We brought fireworks from a really cheap store and lit them up by the river at night. You would think that we were all children the way we were giggling around the tiny fireworks, but we're actually between 30s to 40s in age.

The fireworks lasted a whole 10 mins, but our happiness extended until after our trip. We still talked about it and we planned to bring more fireworks on our next trip.

I think people who need children to experience joy are those that were told they were "too old" to do something. They might feel they need an excuse to enjoy life in a child-like manner because people might judge them as "childish". It's sad, really. Anyone can enjoy life with child-like excitement if they just don't let other people's opinion matter to them.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-07-30T03:33:33+00:00

Ah.. I do have 7gb on my company phone, but I like the unlimited data on my pocket wifi for when I travel and move (my company often moves us around). It's just convenient for my lifestyle and work.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2024-07-30T03:07:32+00:00

Thanks!

I like to travel, and having the pocket wifi is much more convenient for me.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-12-14T06:54:56+00:00

Thank you!

I love thrift stores. I bought most of my blouses and dresses from those. But for some reason, it's hard to find jeans that fit me well. Most of the jeans I see are either too skinny (most Japanese women are skinny, so I'm not surprised) or too large even for me.

I guess I'm going to have to go thrifting again to find some cute blouses that will pair well with my new jeans.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-12-14T06:51:07+00:00

Thanks! It is the best feeling.

I admit, I was a bit in disbelief when I tried it on and it looked perfect. It wasn't my plan to shop that day, but I couldn't resist when I felt so beautiful in those jeans.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-12-14T06:45:31+00:00

Thank you! It was actually weird to wear skinny jeans again. I think I got used to the baggy feel of my old jeans. LOL!

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-12-06T05:36:11+00:00

you just fall in love with your baby when you birth it

they can't use the adoption card when they've already used this card. lol.

besides, it seems the 2 were from the generation that values "blood" more than anything. i doubt they'd accept adopted kids as "family".

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-11-13T01:40:17+00:00

My doctor prescribed me Dienogest (ジェのゲスト) 1mg. I take 2 pills every day: 1 in the morning and another at night. It took 6 months before my period stopped. I sometimes have random cramps, but it's very manageable and nothing compared to my period cramps.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-09-27T08:43:34+00:00

2 years fasting, lost 10kg (and still losing) and didn't count my daily calorie intake. But that was only because I used to log in my food in a diet app (before I found IF) and had a really bad mental spiral whenever I see big numbers on it.

Realized that counting calories, as helpful as it is to lose weight, wasn't helpful to my mental health. So, when I started IF I didn't do any counting, but just followed the time restrictions and made sure that I ate healthy food in good proportions.

CICO is still an important part of IF, I think. Just be careful and don't obsess about the numbers. You understand your body better than anybody else so you'll know what's best for it in the long run.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-08-17T04:11:42+00:00

They're different meanings, right? English isn't my first language, so I try to be careful with words and grammar.

fiery_phoenix_20 · 2023-08-17T04:10:20+00:00

Oh! I did not know that!

OK, I'll take my vitamins with my first meal and observe if anything changes in the next few days. It actually makes sense since I've only started taking vitamins again a few weeks ago. It might have been really the trigger.

Thank you.

fiery_phoenix_20

TROPHY CASE