Woman suffered for 17 years then doctors found football-sized lump

Woman suffered for 17 years then doctors found football-sized lump Katherine Glyde, 36, said her symptoms were not taken seriously A woman who discovered a "football-sized" lump in her abdomen, which ultimately led to a full hysterectomy and surgical menopause in her 30s, is now campaigning for better support after feeling she does not "fit into any category". Katherine Glyde, 36, a business owner from Romford, Essex, revealed it took almost two decades to receive an endometriosis diagnosis, having been told she had "everything but" the condition throughout the years. It was ahead of her cervical screening, known as a smear test, in February that she first noticed a sizeable lump in her abdomen. Following the appointment, she was referred for "urgent" tests and scans. Katherine was subsequently told she had fibroids - non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb - with one measuring 27cm, meaning she required a hysterectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the womb. She explained that the total abdominal hysterectomy carried out in April triggered immediate surgical menopause, leaving her with a 25cm scar. She experienced her first hot flush just hours after coming round from surgery. Now, six months on, during World Menopause Awareness Month, Katherine is calling for improved guidance and support for younger women going through the menopause. "You don't fit into any category, really. You don't fit into the typical menopause space," Katherine told PA Real Life. "This happened to me in 24 hours. It didn't happen in a few years, it didn't happen gradually. There's no guideline for what you do afterwards, and I think this needs to change." From "period number one", aged 11, Katherine said she experienced heavy bleeding, severe pain and struggled with her mental health, but her symptoms were not taken seriously. She explained: "I would frequently bleed through my school uniform and have to get changed." Katherine said she was prescribed the contraceptive pill by her GP, aged 12, but her symptoms persisted and worsened. She continued to visit the GP but said she was repeatedly dismissed and misdiagnosed. "After (the pill), the GP said, 'Well, it's nothing to do with your periods because your periods are fixed'," she said. "Then they said, 'OK, we're going to send you to gastroenterology'." Following further appointments, Katherine revealed she was told her symptoms were attributable to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition which affects the digestive system. She was subsequently diagnosed with glandular fever, a viral infection, owing to her low energy levels and pain. "I got told it was everything but (endometriosis)," she said. After enduring 17 years of debilitating symptoms, Katherine received a diagnosis of endometriosis at the age of 28, followed by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), now known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). She revealed she had been "navigating" everything alone up until that point, and after consulting an endometriosis specialist privately in 2021, nothing further was flagged. However, just before her routine smear test in February - which checks the health of the cervix and helps prevent cervical cancer - she discovered a large lump in her abdomen. "The nurse said, 'I can't find your cervix, but it can move around, don't worry about that', and I said, 'Is that why I've got this weird lump in my stomach?'," Katherine explained. "Then she said, 'Hold on a minute. Let me finish the smear test, and then we're going to talk about this'. "At the time, I had what can only be described as what felt like a football in my tummy, and when I pushed on my stomach, it was rock hard." Katherine also revealed she had been suffering from severe back pain as well as bowel and bladder problems, which she had initially put down to a kidney infection. She was subsequently referred to gynaecology for "urgent" tests and scans. It was at this point that Katherine discovered she had four fibroids, with the largest measuring a staggering 27cm - swelling that doctors described as "the equivalent of being 34 weeks pregnant". There were also concerns raised over whether the largest fibroid could be cancerous, though this has not been confirmed and investigations are still ongoing. "The questions were initially like, 'Can we just remove the fibroids? Can we do it avoiding a hysterectomy?'" Katherine said. "Initially, I very much thought, 'I don't want to have a hysterectomy. I don't really want to have surgery at all'. Every appointment got scarier and scarier than the one before." Katherine explained that due to her "period issues" from an early age, and her later endometriosis diagnosis, she understood that conceiving naturally might not be an option. Therefore, when it was confirmed that a hysterectomy was the most appropriate treatment, she "made peace" with this decision – though she still found it difficult. "I think I coped with it well, but there would be certain moments that would just completely break me," she said. "I'd almost put (having children) aside... but when it was suddenly taken away, that's a whole other element of grief that you have to navigate." Katherine said medical professionals discussed her taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prior to her operation and, as her mother had undergone a hysterectomy, she was familiar with surgical menopause. However, with pre-operative tests showing she had "no signs of perimenopause", she said she went from "one to one thousand" and experienced her first symptom almost immediately following the surgery in April. According to the NHS, menopausal symptoms can include hot flushes, depression, vaginal dryness, sleep problems, known as insomnia, fatigue and night sweats. "I thought, in my head, I'd have some time to recover from the surgery and then it would all start. It wasn't like that," she said. "I remember waking up (the night of my surgery), absolutely dripping in sweat, and then suddenly being freezing cold. I messaged one of my friends who said to me, 'Congratulations, you've just had your first hot flush'... but the worst thing that I've experienced so far is the insomnia." Katherine explained that her HRT, which she takes in the form of patches, has been adjusted and her insomnia has since got better, but she continues to experience hot flushes and battles with her mental health. Additional side effects have included putting on weight, food cravings and hair loss, and she even temporarily developed tinnitus, commonly described as a ringing sound in the ears. Katherine said it feels as though she is perpetually functioning at around 60% health and she believes there is insufficient support for younger women going through menopause. She wants to campaign for better guidance and follow-up appointments for those in surgical menopause to help them learn how to carry on living a "normal life". "It's hard to see menopause and mid-life used interchangeably," she said. "I'm not the only person who's my age who's had a hysterectomy... but I've gone to menopause-specific events, and people don't think I'm there for myself. "For other younger women going through surgical menopause, I'd say, it's not over, it's not mid-life, it's whatever point of life you're at. You will be OK and you will build a new life without a womb." Dr Susanna Unsworth, women's health expert for Intimina, said: "Menopause only affecting women over 50 is a common misconception. "While the average age of menopause in the UK is 51, anything over the age of 45 is considered within the most common range. Furthermore, around 4% of women go through menopause before the age of 40. "Hormonal changes can affect women in their 30s and 40s, and it is important to consider menopause as a possible factor when assessing symptoms, while still ruling out other medical causes.