Teresa Johnson

Talia, she/her, 23, underwent laparoscopic surgery for her ovarian cyst removal in early 2020 before the lockdown.

Ovarian cysts, according to Women's Health.gov, "are fluid-filled sacs in the ovary. They are common and usually form during ovulation." The two most common ovarian cysts are follicle cysts, which often have no symptoms and go away in one to three months, and corpus luteum cysts, which go away after a few weeks, and can grow to almost four inches wide.

SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CYSTS INCLUDE

• Pelvic pain — a dull or sharp ache in the lower abdomen on the side of the cyst

• Fullness or heaviness in your abdomen

• Bloating

Talia's cyst was 8cm, which was the size of a small mango or beet.

"I grew up with irregular periods. It would come on a span of maybe three months, to every six months sometimes. So when I would get it, it would be a really heavy flow, and I could never track when it was coming."

Her healthcare providers always told her that it could be her active sports playing causing her irregular periods.

"As time went on, I was getting really frustrated because I didn't know what was going on with my body, and that so many doctors were telling me different things- from my pediatrician, to OB/GYN's. There were so many voices, and none of them matched up."

"It came to a point where I was like they (doctors) don't know what they're talking about, and everyone's bodies are so different, so these normative answers aren't working hard enough for me. As a Black woman in any medical instance, it is super nerve wracking and excruciating to go through different experiences and feel disrespected or brushed off with my concerns."

She was told that if she didn't regulate her periods, she could have ovarian cancer by the age of 30, and was recommended to take hormonal contraceptives.

"I never went on birth control for numerous reasons. I had chronic migraines, and breast cancer runs on my maternal side, so I've always had this fear of putting something in my body because there are so many different variables. I wasn't sexually active as a teen, and since birth control is used to prevent babies, it was irrelevant for me for that purpose, so why put it in my body to only regulate my period, when it's normal that it's irregular?"

She found healing and empowerment through community, reaching out to friends and family who were in similar situations.

"If there's one thing out of all this is that I was able to freely share this experience and also realize that other people have the same experience, with the common understanding that doctors aren't going to be the best way to care for us. We ourselves are the primary people who can take care of our body and know red flags."