A 28-year-old UK woman has been left in agony due to a "painful" rare condition which made her allergic to her menstrual cycle. According to People, Georgina Jelley, from London, was fitted with the contraceptive coil in April 2024 and a few weeks later she started experiencing rashes, itchy and burning eyes and headaches. Her doctors believed she was having an allergic reaction so they prescribed oral steroids and antihistamines. Her symptoms went away within a few days, however, just three weeks later, she suffered another allergic reaction - but this time with more severe symptoms.
The 28-year-old was in so much pain and was quickly referred to an eye specialist, per the outlet. She even underwent an MRI to determine the cause. She was reportedly told that her symptoms were signs of eczema. "But I just knew that it wasn't," Ms Jelley insisted. "I felt really fobbed off, the doctors kept telling me it was just eczema and tried to give me topical steroids to treat it. But I just knew that it wasn't," she continued.
"My final reaction was three weeks later, and when I started to experience the allergic reaction, I moaned to my partner that it was also my time of the month, which added to what I was going through," she recalled. "He then had a light bulb moment and realised that I'd been on my period every time I had the reactions."
Ms Jelley then did her own research and quickly saw her doctor to receive an official diagnosis. She suspected that she had a condition called progesterone hypersensitivity - a rare allergic reaction to progesterone, a hormone produced by the ovaries. It is triggered ahead of a woman's menstrual cycle and starts to improve once the cycle is over. The 28-year-old's symptoms included rashes, hives, swelling, redness and itching of the skin.
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Treatment for progesterone hypersensitivity includes managing symptoms with corticosteroids and antihistamines or taking medications that can lower progesterone levels or block the production of progesterone entirely.
Ms Jelley said: "It was awful, I knew I was allergic to something, but I had no idea what was causing it. My eyes were so red - it looked like I was wearing an eye mask and it affected my vision. It was so painful and I was so worried that something was seriously wrong. It was such a surprise to me when I learnt about the condition. I'm told it's a rare condition, but maybe it's not and people just know that they have it. It was shocking to think I'm actually allergic to my own periods."
Ms Jelley's doctor ultimately removed her contraceptive coil. Since then none of the debilitating symptoms have returned, she said. "I feel so much better since having my coil removed. It was so painful and horrible, and we had no idea why it was happening," she said.
