Woman who had her period every 10 days had to choose between having a baby and buying a house

Erin McDermott says the underlying causes of her fertility problems could have been diagnosed much earlier if she had found out about her hormone imbalances

One woman says she is “forced” to choose between freezing her eggs and buying her own home.

Erin McDermott started taking the pill when she was a teenager because of the irregularity of her periods.

It was never tested to find out what’s causing the problem, reports Manchester evening news.

But when she stopped taking the pill out of curiosity after 13 years in December 2020, she found out that she had a hormonal imbalance.

This was later confirmed by a GP who said it indicates a low fertility rate and shorter fertility window.

Erin, 29, reckons the underlying cause could have been diagnosed much earlier.

Erin said: “It wasn’t necessarily the pill that caused the problem, but it was the pill that masked a problem.

“The problem should have been investigated earlier. They should have found out why I had my period every 10 days – my hormones had gone out of control to cause it.”

Erin now feels her chances of conceiving at age 29 are “slim to none.”

She now believes she is being forced to choose between freezing her eggs because she ever wants children or saving to buy a house.

“I feel like I’m kind of forced to make a choice when it’s not really a choice I’m in the headspace for.

“I’m not in a relationship and I never really thought I had to think about it that way because you just assume as long as you’re fit and healthy it won’t be a problem.”

The student, from Ancoats, Greater Manchester, is now raising awareness of hormone education and encouraging other women to wonder if hormonal birth control might be masking bigger issues in their health.

She settled in A petition Call on the government to add more hormone health to Key Level 2 and Key Level 3 curricula.

And Erin thinks paying more attention to hormones could help people deal with a whole range of different issues in their lives.

She said: “Hormones affect every other aspect of your life. It might open a can of worms but I think it’s positive.

“If you suffer from mental illness or struggle with weight, hormone issues could also be barriers to those experiences.”