The pain began when she was 13. Though Julie Jacques hadn’t even had her first period yet, her cramps were so bad that she was often bedridden, unable to function or even think. ⁠ ⁠ After two years, Jacques’s doctors finally figured it out. She had endometriosis, a disorder where tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of it. Her physicians decided she would need her uterus removed—a hysterectomy. But within a year of the operation, her pain returned. Her doctors dismissed it as impossible. Then, another troubling symptom developed: a dip in her mental health. Because of the mind-uterus connection, many people who undergo a hysterectomy experience depression, psychological tension, anxiety, and mood swings, but, likes Jacques, are rarely taken seriously. Even worse: a recent study found that nearly one in five women who undergo hysterectomy may not need the procedure, so many patients continue to experience complications and develop new psychological burdens. At the link in bio, Maria Ricapito sheds light on the hidden mental health costs of a hysterectomy.⁠ ⁠ 🎨: @ego___n