Stacey Norman opens up about her cancer scare and decision to freeze her eggs
According to CANSA (Cancer Association of South Africa), one in seven women in South Africa will be at risk for cancer in their lifetime.
A content piece that was done on the show about a week and a half ago struck a chord with Stacey Norman.
The story was submitted by a listener who shared that she and her husband had been struggling to conceive and that their doctor had suggested that the couple consider alternative means of bringing a child into this world.
READ: KZN woman shares infertility struggles and husband's refusal to try IVF
One of those ways being IVF ( In vitro fertilisation). Unfortunately for Snenhlanhla, her husband was opposed to conceiving a child outside of what he believes to be the 'natural way'.
If you missed that story, listen below:
In getting Snenhlanhla some much needed help, the team contacted a clinical technologist, Stacey-Leigh, who specialises in IVF:
Stacey was triggered by the story. As a woman, like many others, she has always just thought that getting pregnant should be easy to do, because we are taught that as a woman that is part of your life.
No one talks about the fact that sometimes your body may not be primed for child bearing because of medical issues. Stacey, who visits her gynaecologist quite regularly, had not been to see one in a while and was feeling abnormal abdominal pains. So, she finally set up an appointment whilst she was living in Johannesburg.
Stacey's new gynaecologist, on a hunch, tested for HPV, which is normally not advised for women under the age of 30. According to Stacey's gynae - HPV can cause a lot of complications in the womb of a woman.
Her tests results came back positive for HPV and some unknown cells were found in Stacey's uterus, which could be signs of cancer.
Stacey was called in with her results and the day later she went into surgery to have the cells removed.
It was quite an envasive surgery and the recovery time was long, I was petrified and scared
This was about four or five years ago. Every year since then, even after the surgery, the cells continuously came up.
A month ago, Stacey went for her routine gynaecologist check up and for the first time in the last three years, the cells were all clear. Stacey's family has a history of cancer and miscarrying, so the news that she had the all-clear of the cells found in her uterus meant she could be excited once again about the prospect of having kids one day when she chooses to.
This was a massive relief for Stacey, but because of the scare, she is undergoing the process of having her eggs frozen to have a security blanket should the cells come back and Stacey does decide to have a child.
Going to the gynaecologist is not something that is seen to be "sexy", according to Stacey, and, yes, it may not be the most comfortable process, but it could literally save your life.
Stacey would like to urge all women, when of age, to go and see their gynaes at least once a year, as is advised.
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.
Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition where endometrial tissue (tissue similar to the lining of the uterus) grows outside of the uterus. It is estimated that 1 in 10 women have endometriosis.
For referrals on gynaecologists in KZN, click here.
Listen to the full podcast of Stacey sharing her journey below:
Main image courtesy of East Coast Radio