In 2024, I truly felt that the months ahead held so much promise. My husband Tom and I were trying to start a family, and I was at the highest point of my career, having just won an industry-wide award for my work. I was eager to keep striving, but I couldn't have predicted the battle I was about to face.
In 2023, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and started a disease-modifying therapy. Following the first infusion, I was told to report anything out of the ordinary to my neurologist. Of course, when I noticed unusual discharge weeks later, that is exactly what I did.
I spoke to my neurologist and was told it was likely a side effect. Nevertheless, I scheduled an appointment with my primary care physician and explained that something didn’t feel right. I trusted my doctors and believed that if something was wrong, it would be recognized.
As the weeks went by, my symptoms changed and got progressively worse. My menstrual cycle went from lasting five days to 21 days. It was increasingly concerning, but when I reported it, my neurologist said it was another side effect of my infusion.
I wanted to believe that reassurance, but I knew something had changed. The bleeding got worse, and I experienced this strange pelvic discomfort. I thought, is my body falling apart?
Is this normal for multiple sclerosis? At a follow-up in June, my neurologist suggested going on birth control to help with my periods, but Tom and I were trying for a baby, and I did not want to lose that option. That conversation was the first time I wondered if it could be something worse.
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