A woman’s body is incredible and capable of so much — sometimes, you might not even realize what it’s capable of doing until it’s happening to you. Women of the BuzzFeed Community shared some of these things, and I am still surprised by some of them. Here is what they shared:
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1.“Women should be prepared to experience perimenopause in their early 30s. I went through menopause at 44, and the perimenopause started at 37. I thought I was going wild. No doctor mentioned perimenopause because I was so young and had just had a baby. Going through menopause when you have four young children was tough, and I ended up needing antidepressants to cope. I went the natural route with no hormones.”
2.“I had no idea that you could fart through your vagina, I always only hear about it coming out of your butt, and I was confused when it first happened to me. Nobody ever talked about it where I grew up, so I had no idea it was a thing.”
—Anonymous
3.“My friend’s daughter had a cryptic pregnancy like, straight out of a TLC I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant show. She gave birth in her college dorm room and was terrified because she was in nursing school, and she realized how dangerous it was to not have had prenatal care. I think she is convinced that she has hurt her son because she didn’t know she was pregnant — no weight gain, she still had bleeding every month. She is now suffering postpartum depression coupled with guilt and shame. She is currently seeing a therapist.”
4.“I had no idea that you could experience bleeding during pregnancy when you are NOT having a miscarriage. I was 12 weeks along and suddenly felt a huge gush of blood. I instantly assumed I was having a miscarriage — I was certain that I was losing my baby. I rushed to my OB-GYN, and she quickly found a strong heartbeat, assuring me my baby was fine. I had placenta previa, and while the bleeding slowed down, it persisted for weeks before disappearing. I was put on pelvic rest and vaginally delivered a beautiful 8 lb boy. If you have bleeding during pregnancy, DO NOT PANIC! Just get to your doctor ASAP and follow all their instructions.”
—Julia, 35
5.“Sometimes a hymen doesn’t break or can have only a very small opening(s). I had my period for years with no issue other than I couldn’t use tampons — they wouldn’t go in. After a visit to the gyno, I was informed I would need a hymenectomy for my imperforate hymen. I only had a pin prick-sized opening that allowed for my period to come out but for nothing to enter. It’s rare, but it happens!”
6.“Having been born with a heart murmur passed down from my dad, it sounds like I have two heartbeats, and sometimes it feels like my heart skips a beat. I had a doctor think I’m pregnant and put the stethoscope on my belly.”
7.“I had to try several types of birth control due to PCOS (and the cramps I got were awful), and the first one was great, but I got Nexplon, and it was the worst thing ever. So, when I went back to the first pill, it was a different experience! And then the next pill made it so my migraines got 10x worse, so my doctor had me go on the IUD, and I love it. However, the surprise of not having a period was weird because it took 1 1/2 years to disappear, and I realized a week later that I was on what I like to call a ‘pseudo period’ because the mood swings, migraines, acne, and cravings are still there.”
8.“After I had my first child at age 30, I started developing chest pain and difficulty breathing. It felt like someone punched me in the chest, and if I slept on my back, I felt something was constricting my breathing. After seeing my PCP (primary care physician) twice, he quickly dismissed my concerns that something was seriously wrong by saying, ‘It’s just allergic bronchitis, you’ll live.'”