Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome affects 1 in 5,000 women worldwide, but what exactly is it?
Ella's Instagram @ellamrkhfullalove
MRKH is a congenital disorder that affects the female reproductive system, women diagnosed with MRKH have vaginal agenesis aka, an absent or incomplete vagina.
This means that the uterus is very small or absent and the cervix is also missing. But what must be understood is that women diagnosed with this syndrome are genetic females.
Women with MRKH have normal ovaries and will experience puberty but will not have periods.
The average age when MRKH is diagnosed is between 15-18 years old.
MRKH is complex and can affect fertility. The absence or size of the uterus can impact on an MRKH patient's ability to carry a child.
However, due to the presence of ovaries and the creation of eggs, it is possible to use a gestational carrier and fertility treatment to have a biological child.
There are two types of MRKH:
Type one refers to only reproductive organs being affected.
Type two is when abnormalities have occurred elsewhere in the body too. The kidneys may be abnormally formed or positional or one kidney may fail to develop. In this case skeletal abnormalities, hearing loss or heart defects may also occur.
For my project I am looking into MRKH and what it means to be born without a vagina. How do women with MRKH approach their diagnosis and what support is out there?
I am speaking the @Ellamrkhfullalove this evening to record a very special podcast discussing all things MRKH.
Click here for help and advice services.
Nic.
Tags:
#infertility #VisibilityForInfertility #fertility #journalism #fertilitynetwork #youarenotalone #ivfpostcodelottery
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