Scarlett Rose, 30, living in Australia, has suffered excruciating pain during sex for years. Scarlett, who went to the doctor about it, was told she had a transverse vaginal septum after years of battling with misdiagnoses. Figures show that as many as 72,000 women worldwide have the condition. Born with two vaginas, Scarlett described how she was unaware of her strange anatomy until she was 21.
HE FEEL ‘LIKE AN ALIEN’
Scarlett suffered excruciating pain during sex for years, which made her feel ‘like an alien’ because ‘I didn’t know what my problem was’.
Ms. Rose assumed that the pain she experienced during intercourse was because she was “not ready” or “should be painful”. Paramedics even said the pain he felt was ‘in his head’.
HE RELAXED WHEN LEARNING HE HAS TWO VAGINS
Doctors discovered that the mother’s vagina had split in two only when she became pregnant. Talking about her ordeal, she said: “I was relieved when I found out I have two vaginas because it took me years to figure out what was wrong. Now, sex is not painful and I can lead a normal life.” Ms Rose added: “I want other women to know that they are not alone in this. “
“I THOUGHT I WAS NOT READY”
Figures show that as many as 72,000 women worldwide have a transverse vaginal septum. Its tissue ended two centimeters before the vaginal opening, making it difficult to see and for any doctor to diagnose. There are two different types of the condition – the vertically extending longitudinal vaginal septum (LVS) and the horizontally extending transverse vaginal septum (TVS). “The first time I tried to do something, I thought I wasn’t ready or that it had to hurt,” said Ms. Rose, who started having sex at age 18.
HE FAILED WITH WRONG DIAGNOSIS FOR YEARS
While seeking help at the time, doctors and gynecologists were baffled by the cause of her suffering. For three years she endured laparoscopic surgery, smears and ultrasounds as well as treatment for thrush, bacterial vaginosis and vaginismus, in which the vaginal muscles contract during penetration. He discusses his quest to find answers. he said: ‘It was really hard. So I developed serious anxiety. I was told it was in my head.
I knew it was very difficult when I was told that I was in physical pain and that there was nothing wrong with you or that people didn’t believe you. I was very embarrassed.’
THE MEN SAID HE WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Ms Rose added: “When I met my husband (Jamie), he told me that my pain was not normal and I knew there was a problem.” She struggled to find answers to questions about her pain online, and no one she knew had experienced anything similar. Ms. Rose added: “Even when we talked to our friends about it, men kept telling me that I wasn’t good enough and that I needed to fix my problems because the lack of sex wasn’t fair to my husband. Sex was incredibly painful. Sex is not just for pleasure, it’s a way to bond in relationships.
THEY THOUGHT THAT BREEDING A BABY WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE PAIN
“My husband was very supportive and understanding and made sure I was okay.” Despite the strain her situation brought to their relationship, the couple married and attempted to have a baby, which Ms Rose described as “incredibly painful”. “The doctors said that because my pelvic floor was too tight and they thought having a baby might loosen it up, giving birth to a baby could help with the pain.”
IF THEY DID NOT KNOW THE TISSUE, THEIR OWN OR SON CAN DIE
Ms Rose became pregnant with her son, Hunter, who is now eight years old, in 2014. However, she was hospitalized for surgery as she was found to have a weak cervix at 21 weeks, which could cause preterm labor. During surgery, doctors discovered that her vagina had split in two and removed the septum, creating a single vagina. Had they not discovered the tissue, she was told that she might have bled during childbirth, which would have killed herself and her son.
PAINS AFTER THE SURGERY ARE COMPLETELY REQUIRED
‘After giving birth, I had to have a smear test six weeks after giving birth. “I was scared because they were usually incredibly painful, but after the surgery it was completely healed,” he said. “I wanted to raise awareness because then you can go to appointments with an idea of what’s going on and you’re more likely to get help and support. I want people to see my story and know it so they can defend themselves.”