Sarah White is now coming to terms with the fact that she will not be able to have children
A woman who had always experienced heavy periods was given a rare tumour diagnosis after passing a hand-sized blood clot. Sarah White, 25, started to worry when she bled onto a restaurant floor in April last year.
Within months she had been told she had an 8cm benign mass in her uterus, following an ultrasound, and would need surgery. However, by January this year her uterus had expanded to almost three time its size, with the mass growing to 13cm.
Then, during the surgery, doctors discovered the mass was in fact a rare cancer. It means Sarah now has to have a hysterectomy alongside the removal of her ovaries – a procedure that means she will never be able to carry her own children.
The recruitment consultant from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, said: “I had to put my whole life on hold. Within half an hour of putting in a tampon, it was pushed out by the amount of blood.
“I’d bleed through onto chairs, bed sheets and my clothes. I’m relieved to have finally had a diagnosis, but it kills me that I now won’t carry a baby.”
Sarah had experienced “extremely heavy” periods from the age of 14 and was given medication from her GP to ease the pain. She claimed this “somewhat” managed her symptoms, but she still missed out on “a lot” of school and spending time with her friends.
She added: “My periods were always painful from a young age. I assumed I was just unlucky and it would get easier. But as I got older, the bleeding got heavier and I was leaking through everything.”
Sarah’s periods only continued to get worse and after passing a “huge” clot in April 2023, she knew something wasn’t right.
She said: “My partner, Ryan, 30, and I went out for a meal with his family. As we were finishing, I felt sharp stabbing pains in my stomach.
“After everyone had left, I got up and my trousers were soaked through – I could see the blood trickle onto the floor. When I got home I went to the toilet and saw that my tampon had been pushed out. Moments later, a clot the size of my hand fell onto the floor.”
After calling 999 and getting the all-clear from paramedics, Sarah was advised to see her GP – who referred her for an ultrasound in August 2023. The scan revealed a mass in her uterus, which was diagnosed as an 8cm benign fibroid – a non-cancerous growth – one month later.
She said: “After my initial ultrasound revealed a mass, I was sent for an MRI at OSD healthcare, Hemel Hempstead, to investigate it further. When I found out what it was, I was terrified and felt like a sitting duck.”
Medics confirmed she would need surgery to remove the fibroid but, while waiting for a date for the operation, Sarah began fainting from severe blood loss.
Sarah said: “I called 111 a lot whilst waiting because everything got progressively worse. I was losing so much blood, my face was swollen and I could barely walk.
“My periods went from seven, to 10, to 21 days – it was awful. I had an emergency ultrasound on January 22 and my uterus was the size of someone 24 weeks pregnant.
“Medics couldn’t see my right ovary because this mass was covering it. But it had grown to 13cm.”
Sarah went in for an open myomectomy – a procedure that allows surgeons to remove uterine fibroids – on February 14 at Watford General Hospital. But Sarah’s mass looked “unusual” so it was sent off for testing and she was diagnosed with a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma – a rare cancerous tumour.
She said: “After my surgery, my periods started to ease, so when doctors said I had a tumour, I froze in shock. No one knew if it was all gone and I feared the worst.”
Three weeks later, Sarah went for a post-op CT scan at Hemel Hempstead Hospital, which showed she had an enlarged lymph node in her abdomen and would need a full hysterectomy and removal of her ovaries.
She said: “I found out I still had cancer in my uterus and an enlarged lymph node – I was devastated. Although the lymph node has returned to normal size, my cancer is hormonal so I’m at high risk if I don’t have the surgery. I’m not ready to have a baby, but I’m heartbroken that I won’t ever get to.”
Sarah was set to have a hysterectomy in May and she is now encouraging women to “push” for answers when something doesn’t feel right.
She said: “My mental health has taken a massive decline because I felt I was being shrugged off as a dramatic young woman. I didn’t think heavy periods would lead to a cancer diagnosis, but I’m so proud of myself for not sitting back. If you feel that something isn’t right, please don’t settle.”
