When Paralympian Swimmer Monique Murphy lost his leg in 2014 after falling from the balcony after a suspicious drink, she knew her life would look different.
But what she couldn’t guess was that almost 10 years later she would lose another part of her body – her uterus.
In 2023, Murphy underwent hysterectomy – surgical removal of the uterus and cervix – after almost decades of suffering by endometriosis and adenomyosis, whose pain was, as he says, worse than the loss of the foot.
“I had to listen to my body even though it wasn’t what I wanted to hear”
Since her accident, Murphy had more than 15 operations, yet she won a silver medal in a women’s 400m Freestyle S10 at 2016 Rio Paralympic Games – exactly 900 days after the fall.
During her training, however, because of her endometriosis, she suffered painful pain, the situation deteriorated after the coaches ignored her.
“Every operation has deteriorated and deteriorated,” Murphy said Sky Sports.
“The possibility was either to keep my uterus and risked that it has even more operations or to have it removed. It wasn’t easy.
During her international career, Monique Murphy suffered from endometriosis and adenomyosis
“It was a difficult decision for me because I wanted to have children but I wasn’t ready. I want to be a parent and pregnancy would be an incredible experience, but I had to get realistically about my body’s ability.
“I sold my body a lot, not only because I am an elite athlete, but after my endometriosis began to influence my lungs, it was the last line for me.
“It was about listening to my body, even if it’s not what I want to hear. There is a limit to what our bodies can go through, and I have tested it well and really.”
Murphy had to go through 14 doctors until she received the diagnosis of endometriosis.
He’s currently taking it An average of eight years and 10 months to obtain a diagnosis of endometriosisAccording to the charity Endometriosis of UK.
Number of people Waiting for NHS treatment has doubled to 7.5 millionAnd although the objectives report that 92% of patients should start treatment within 18 weeks, this goal has not been met for almost ten years.
Approximately one in 80 to 100 pregnancies ends up as ectopic – when fertilized eggs implants outside the womb. This risk is more than doubled in persons with endometriosis.
Endometriosis also increases the risk of abortion.
“Finalization of these decisions is not new to me”
When Murphy told her doctor that she wanted hysterectomy, she was already familiar with the immenseness of this decision that decided to amputate her leg earlier.
Murphy reference FriendsAmerican television situations in which all three women become mothers in different ways. This is an example of how, unlike disabilities, interviews about infertility in conventional media have been represented.
Monique Murphy lost her leg after falling from the balcony at the university after suspicion of drink drink
“I was aware of the concept of substitutes since the age of 15, but there was no representation of amputes or disabilities,” Murphy added.
“Equally sad, because she will never have children (during pregnancy), it’s something I can imagine a little easier than learning to live without a foot at 19.
“I was also very comfortable with the idea that when I was amputated my leg, it didn’t grow back. Finalization around these decisions is not new to me.
“Some people asked,” Would you like a back leg? “But it’s not like a choice I have, so it’s not tired.
“I have a life I have and I live according to the best of my skills, whether it look.
“I can’t do anything with my disability, I have to do it. There is nothing to develop my leg.
“I tried to drive my endometriosis for years and I spent a lot of money on it. It wasn’t the first idea that came to my head, I have exhausted all other options.”
Murphy went through the process of mourning her uterus and the ability to conceive, something that hit her harder in the 1930s.
“As I am getting older and more people around me began to conceive, it was difficult because I watched someone doing something that my body couldn’t, and I chose it,” Murphy added.
“There’s a little sadness, and when you go through a loss, it can feel isolation.
“Whenever I question the decision, I have to remind myself that if I decided to conceive, there would also be obstacles to that if pregnancy on a prosthetic leg.”
Examination of substitute and parenting
While Murphy no longer has its uterus, it still has its ovaries and eggs, which means that the parent can become a parent through a substitute, possibilities that she has begun to explore.
“Anything related to the reduction of my pain is my partner (Andrew) on board,” Murphy said.
“He supports me that he also gives up something, and when you start to go through the process of compensation, you realize how little education we have for these things.
“He wasn’t with me during my accident while my family was, so their understanding is a little different.
“I was in support of life for one week and almost died, I have to remember it.
“Our bodies excel in different ways and being pregnant is something I wonder. I have friends who have children at the moment, and it’s amazing.
“The ultimate result is a child and there are still ways we can do that; it will only be different.”
Murphy is an Ambassador StampAn organization that advocates people affected by endometriosis and other conditions related to the pelvic health in Australia and New Zealand.
QENDO supported Global Alliance for Athletes (GAFA)International cooperation, which sees medical doctors and sports scientists from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, cooperates to help athletes overcome the prevailing health problems.
The aim of this pioneering initiative is to close a critical gap in medical literacy and research surrounding the conditions specific to women who affect athletic performance such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, menstrual health disorders and hormonal imbalance.
Qendo touched Murphy’s other women who have gone through similar experiences, all of which they gave a positive experience, allowing her to find support.
“There is more than one way to be a woman”
Australian silver medalist Monique Murphy (L) along with Canadian gold medalist Aurelie Rivard and French bronze medalist Elodie Lorandi (R) during Rio 2016 games
Pregnancy is often considered the peak of femininity, but this association can be quite harmful for women who fight infertility.
After her accident, Murphy was aware of how quickly identity could change and change.
“When I went through my accident and the way like a swimmer, I did so much for myself in terms of my identity, who I was and what I was able,” Murphy said.
“I got so good in defending myself and I spent the last 10 years building this identity that it was quite firm.
“I don’t feel like I need to do something to prove that I am capable because I have done it well and really, and it is part of it because my life has proved so different from what I could imagine as a child.
“There are women who do not receive a period or go through menopause, or they cannot naturally introduce, that does not mean that you are a less woman, you are still who you are.”
“There is no experience that makes you a woman, there is more than one way to define us.”
