A woman thought she had cervical cancer after being rushed to hospital when she started bleeding heavily - but discovered it was a rare symptom of the menopause.



Gigi Gerencser, 58, was going into her third year of perimenopause - when the ovaries gradually stop working - when she woke up in bed and thought she was "haemorrhaging". "

Her periods had mostly stopped, but she woke one morning to find her sheets "drenched in blood" and she felt extremely weak. "

She was rushed to hospital - but after her biopsies came back clear, she was told this was a rare symptom of the menopause and likely "one last hurrah" period. "

Gigi, who owns skincare business Halo & Horns Skin, from Sechelt, Canada, said: "I can’t even explain - it was so terrifying - I woke up to find blood gushing out of me. "

"I’d had a total of three periods in the three years before that - but it was nothing like this. I was extremely weak."

"I thought I was haemorrhaging from something that had burst inside me - or I was convinced I had cervical cancer."

"A couple of weeks after I went to hospital, my biopsy results came back clear. My gynaecologist told me it was a unique symptom of the menopause."

"I thought I was going crazy."

Gigi first started experiencing symptoms of perimenopause eight years ago - at the age of 50.

Her symptoms started off mildly - with hot flushes and missed periods - and she felt as if she could get through it unscathed.

Three months in, Gigi's periods stopped almost completely - and in the three years afterwards, she had just one period a year.

Gigi said: "I thought my menopause was just going to be mild - I kept thinking ‘I got this. I can do this.’"

"I’d have month after month of not having a period - then, suddenly, I’d have a period. Then it’d stop again."

"I just thought they’d gradually stop and I’d never have one again."

Gigi was in her third year of perimenopause when she worried her symptoms might be the result of something more sinister.

She woke one morning with her sheets covered in blood and she collapsed.

She said: "It scared me. I started bleeding profusely."

"I went to the bathroom and blood was gushing - I left the bathroom and collapsed. "

"I called the hospital that morning and they told me to come in that day."

Gigi’s husband, 52 - who does not want to be named - drove Gigi to the hospital and doctors immediately sent her for a biopsy.

"They told me what I’d experienced wasn’t right," she said. "

"I mentioned this could’ve been my third period in three years, but it was dismissed."

"They sent me straight for a biopsy."

Gigi awaited her results for two weeks - but they came back clear.

She scheduled an appointment with her gynaecologist - who told her she experienced something "unique". "

Gigi said: "My gynaecologist told me it was highly unusual - but not impossible. I’d had a ‘one last hurrah’ period - a final, massive one."

"She said it happens when women still have a few eggs left after their periods slow down. "

"It was likely I’d never have a period again. "

"Five years later, I still haven’t."

But, as Gigi moved into the menopause phase, her symptoms started to become more severe.

Her mental health deteriorated - with intense periods of rage and "painful, full-body anxiety" which would start as soon as she woke up. "

She had joint pain, bloating and constant hot flushes.

But she was determined to fight through it without taking any form of HRT, at first.

Gigi said: "I started thinking ‘I’m a bad person. I hate myself. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.’ "

"I started becoming intensely enraged at absolutely nothing - and at a moment’s notice. "

"Someone could give me the wrong lid for my coffee in Starbucks, and I’d just want to smash the cup down. "

"My husband and I started having problems - we couldn’t get along. "

"This wasn’t normal for us - we’d have the usual arguments, but we never really fought. "

"Anxiety was something I never suffered before - but still, to this day, I could open my eyes first thing in the morning and feel it taking over my body."

"To the point where I can feel the little hairs on my arms and legs stand up."

Eventually, Gigi decided to see a naturopath - terrified she was "going crazy". "

She prescribed her a topical hormone - 80 per cent estriol and 20 per cent estradiol - the more intense hormone of the two.

Gigi was also told to take vitamin supplements - magnesium, K2 and vitamin D - as well as a tailored meal plan which included healthy fats like salmon, and lots of greens.

Slowly but surely, she felt as if she was coming back to herself again.

She said: "This wellness plan has helped me tremendously. "

"Going through the menopause humbles you. But the things that came out of that experience helped me to grow."