When American tennis star Danielle Collins set foot at Rod Laver Arena to face off with Australian Open 2022 champion 2022, nothing spoke of her battle with endometriosis.
The minute she made it to the finals, the whole story changed. It is one of the most miraculous comeback tales.
Many fans couldn’t believe Collins, who made it to the finals of the Australian Open.
She recently spoke of her struggle with the condition.
For the 28-year-old, it was a devastating event that she has described as the worst she has ever gone through. She recalls that for years, many doctors told her that period pain was normal but it wasn’t.
“I had so many doctors tell me that painful periods were normal. This progressively got worse and worse,” she told Women’s Tennis Association.
“The agony that I experienced from my menstrual cycles and from the endometriosis is some of the worst pain I’ve ever had. It was scary at times.”
It necessitated emergency surgery in April 2021 after she had an abdominal injury at the French Open.
Danielle Collins. Photo/Daily Advent
What is Endometriosis?
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office on Women’s Health, endometriosis occurs when tissue identical to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb.
It results in benign growths on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other regions of the lower abdomen or pelvis.
During a woman’s period, these patches of tissue may enlarge and bleed. They create discomfort since they grow in locations in the body where they don’t belong. Cysts can occur when blood is trapped in the ovaries.
One in eleven American women aged 15 to 44 has endometriosis, which may make it more difficult to conceive. Cramping, lower back and pelvic pain, and painful bowel motions are all common symptoms of endometriosis, characterized by cramping, lower back and pelvic discomfort.
There is no cure, but there are ways to alleviate the symptoms, such as pain medication, hormone therapy, and surgery.
According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, the typical time to diagnosis is seven to ten years. Endometriosis can only be diagnosed surgically, so a woman may suffer in silence for years before finding out what’s wrong.
How Did Danielle Collins Live With Endometriosis?
At last year’s Australian Open, Collins fell over after developing contraction-like cramps in her low pelvis and abdominal muscles. She sought treatment from a doctor who rushed to the courtside.
Collins claimed she tried to ignore the discomfort and took anti-inflammatories to soothe the pain as she travelled from tournament to tournament, but they no longer worked.
Stabbing pain all the way down her spine made it hard for her to play matches, she explained.
Collins called her orthopaedic doctor in the spring of 2021 because of the excruciating back pain she was experiencing.
The doctor stated that her spine appeared normal and couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. He recommended her to a gynaecologist when she described her menstrual pain.
Four days later, Collins was in the operating room for the emergency surgery in 2021. She says going for surgery was the best decision ever because her life was heavily reliant on meds.
However, she reached a point where she couldn’t take it anymore.
Why Does Danielle Collins Thank Her Surgeon?
Collins maintains that her career was saved by the surgeon who operated on her. Out of this, she just played her best tennis ever.
She had four abdominal incisions made as a result of the surgery. Collins told The Telegraph that a “tennis ball-sized cyst” was removed from her ovary after it pushed her uterus out of place and put pressure on a spinal nerve. This was the cause of the excruciating back pain.
Besides her bladder and bowel, doctors also took a tissue from her genitals.
Danielle Collins. Photo/Sky Sports
Her run to the final in Melbourne is expected to propel her into the top 10 of the women’s singles rankings for the first time.
To the player’s credit, she showed no signs of panic despite the fact that the opening set had been close.
Despite her tendency to show her emotions on the court, the American had so far kept her emotions under wraps during the most significant moment of her career.
What Does Danielle Collins Advice Women With Menstrual Pain?
The American tennis player calls on women experiencing period pain to seek medical help immediately. Out of her experience, period pain is not normal which is why one should consult a doctor, she tells the Telegraph.
She wishes she took the steps she took a year ago. She would spare herself a lot of pain physically and emotionally.
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