Lori Harvey had to fight to be diagnosed with endometriosis and PCOS. She was in pain, and her OBGYN told her to take some Tylenol; she’d be fine. The model, actress, and beauty entrepreneur shared her journey with the painful condition on a recent episode of the SheMD podcast. Her road to receiving the appropriate care began with a conversation with her mother. According to People, she’s had these symptoms since she was sixteen.
Dissatisfied With the First Doctor, Lori Harvey Got a Second Opinion
“I’ve been so frustrated,” she told her mother, Majorie Harvey, on the phone. “I’ve been going to my gynecologist because I’ve just been feeling like something’s off in my body.” She recalled their chat to hosts Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi and Mary Alice Haney. Dr. Aliabadi, whom Harvey lovingly referred to as “Dr. A,” is the second doctor she sought out.
Lori Harvey Discovered She Has Two Conditions
“Endometriosis is a chronic, multisystemic disease of inflammation affecting approximately 10% of the female population,” according to the Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. A 2019 literature review published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that “Black women were less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis.” Additional research is needed on the topic.
“Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that affects women of reproductive age,” according to the World Health Organization. Their research reflects that up to 70% of those living with this condition and the pain it causes might be unaware of what is happening to their bodies.
PCOS May Impact Black Women Differently
“There are several racial and ethnic differences in PCOS phenotypes and in PCOS-associated metabolic dysfunction,” according to the Journal of Fertility and Sterility.
Lori was experiencing excruciating symptoms, consistent inflammation, fluctuating weight gain, facial hair, acne, and other symptoms associated with PCOS and endometriosis. She began experiencing these symptoms in her teenage years.
There is an increased risk for depression, anxiety, and eating disorders with these conditions as well. The hosts commented on how the condition’s ability to negate the efficiency of diets as a trigger for those who might be suffering from eating disorders, especially those in vulnerable populations like teenage girls. Lori later commented that symptoms impacted her “relationship with food” but did not say she had an eating disorder.
Black women with PCOS have an increased risk for severe metabolic issues according to the Journal of the Endocrine Society, making its presence about more than pain. It can lead to fertility issues as well.
The Blanket Dismissal of Her Symptoms By Lori’s Previous Doctor
Lori stressed the disconnect between her and her previous doctor that prevented her from learning she had both conditions. She spoke up, but was unheard.
“Every time I go to her, she’s like, ‘You’re fine, you’re fine, you’re fine. Nothing’s wrong.’ And I was like, ‘But I don’t feel fine. I feel like something is just off.’”
She described the intense suffering that came with that “off” feeling. “I used to have the most excruciating periods of my life, every single time I felt like I needed to go to the hospital, just crazy cramps. I’m taking 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen. Nothing is working, it’s just debilitating,” said Harvey.
Her previous doctor did not share her concerns about the impact the pain had on her life. They felt that over-the-counter remedies were sufficient for what she was enduring.
“They’d be like, ‘Oh, just take some Tylenol, you’ll be fine.’ And I’m like, there’s no way this is normal,” she continued. “When you keep telling these doctors who are supposed to be there to help you that you don’t feel right and something’s off and they keep telling you you’re fine, it’s almost like you’re getting gaslit.”
The Pain She Felt Was Not Normal
After years of “suffering in silence,” Lori sought a second opinion that validated menstrual discomfort should not be completely sitting her down. Together they discovered there was “a lot going on” inside her body.
The second doctor told her, “Yeah, babe, you’re right. It was not normal, and I’m so sorry that you’ve just been living with this, and people have been telling you that this is just how it’s supposed to be because it’s not.”
Money and Privilege Don’t Always Help
The hosts pointed out that if Lori’s fame and privilege didn’t help her in advocating for herself with previous doctors, that didn’t bode well for the average person. PCOS can be treated with hormone therapy, including oral medications, creams, and gels.
Lori was prescribed metformin, a prescription drug routinely used to control high blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. It served her needs. “It just regulated my blood sugar and literally got my body to normal,” Lori said
“My hormones are leveled out and I’m like, oh, I feel good in my body finally for once,” she added.
Lori gushed about the relief she got from being appropriately treated post-diagnosis. “So, she literally changed my life,” she said about her new OB-GYN.
She is so passionate about the improvement proper treatment has made in her life that she has taken to quizzing friends about it to help them, “Even in conversation, if one of my friends is telling me something like ‘Oh I’m getting this, I’m getting that’ I’m like do you have PCOS,” she said. “You should get tested,” she advises them.
Resources
Journal of Reproduction and Fertility
Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
World Health Organization: PCOS
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