Jessie: Hi, my name is Jessie Ice. I currently live in Morgantown, West Virginia. I live here with my two amazing, intelligent, creative, kind, teenage children. I have spent many years relying on the ACA [Affordable Care Act] marketplace here in West Virginia to be able to afford healthcare for an ongoing condition I have. Had I not had a ACA coverage, I would have had to pay out of pocket $800 a month for the medication that I need, which for me as a single mother is completely unaffordable. So the Affordable Care Act, it truly saved my quality of life and my ability to parent my children. I started noticing symptoms of menopause in my late 30s, all the things you think of. Hot flashes, anxiety, nights where I had to change my sheets because I sweated through even my pajamas. Menopause affected every part of my life. By the time I was 40, my periods stopped completely. In March 2021, I went to my gynecologist, explained my symptoms, and I was told I was "too young for menopause" and that it was probably stress and in my head. The only treatment that was offered was an antidepressant. I felt dismissed. So for years after that, I avoided gynecological care. Being told I was too young made me question my instincts and my own body. So I went through perimenopause and menopause without support, even though treatment options existed. Last year I tried again. Blood work confirmed I was postmenopausal at 46 years old. I asked about hormone replacement therapy, knowing my family history includes osteoporosis. Started treatment, started feeling better. Then about 4 months ago, I started bleeding. I'm still bleeding. It's heavy. Sometimes soaking through a tampon in an hour. Everything I've read said postmenopausal bleeding should be evaluated promptly. So I contacted my doctor. I got an appointment for 5 weeks away, 5 weeks. By the time I had my ultrasound, I already knew something was wrong, and the result confirmed it. So now I'm facing further testing: procedures involving my uterus and cervix, and I have learned that they are performed with no pain management, despite how painful they can be. The results I got are validating, but they're also overwhelming. I can't stop thinking about the 5 weeks I spent waiting just for that test. Even advocating for myself comes with fear. I fear being labeled difficult or too emotional or noncompliant, just for asking questions about my own body. Women's healthcare is healthcare. These organs are essential parts of human biology, and conditions that affect them deserve the same urgency, research, funding, and respect as any other system in the body. We need to listen to women. We need to trust what they say about their bodies. We need to treat women's health with the seriousness it deserves. Right now, I'm still waiting for answers.
