Woman in agony after realising she was allergic to her own period
It took several weeks and countless doctors to determine that the severe allergic reaction 28-year-old Georgina Jelley was suffering from only seemed to occur on a monthly basis.
And in a startling follow-up revelation, she made the unexpected discovery that she actually suffers from a biological intolerance to her own menstrual cycle.
Back in April, after having been on the contraceptive injection for several years, Georgina made the decision to have a coil fitted.
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Her GP initially recommended the switch after she began experiencing premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) symptoms from the jabs.
Just three weeks later, however, she began suffering itchy eyes, whopping headaches and sporadic rashes, which would appear all over her body.
Being that all her symptoms seemed to point at an allergic reaction - though the trigger at this point remained unknown - the Londoner's GP prescribed her with both oral steroids and antihistamines in an attempt to reduce her discomfort.
"It was such a strange burning sensation in my eyes," she later told press. "They kept watering and my cheeks were red too.
"I thought maybe it was a reaction to my fabric conditioner or something."
Though her agony initially subsided, just three weeks later, her symptoms flared up again - this time, to a more extreme degree.
So much so, that the mother-of-one was quickly referred to an eye specialist, where she underwent an MRI scan in hope of identifying the cause of her pain.
"My eyes were so red - it looked like I was wearing an eye mask and it affected my vision," she recalled. "It was so painful and I was so worried that something was seriously wrong."
Bizarrely, however, Georgina's tests all came back clear.
Though she was glad to hear that her pain was not being caused by a potentially-fatal ailment, she was equally devastated to remain at a loss about what was going on within her body.
Some medics hinted that she may simply be suffering with extreme eczema, though Georgina claimed she felt 'fobbed off' by this assertion.
"[They] tried to give me topical steroids to treat it," she looks back. "But I just knew that it wasn't."
After several further investigations were carried out by specialists at St Mary's Hospital, Orpington, Georgina noticed a unique pattern surrounding when she experienced her reaction - when she was menstruating.
It turns out, that the commercial researcher has been suffering with a rare condition which means she's technically allergic to her own period.
"My final reaction was three weeks later, and when I started to experience the allergic reaction, I moaned to my partner that it was also my time of the month, which added to what I was going through," Georgina explained.
"He then had a light bulb moment and realised that I'd been on my period every time I had the reactions."
After she began to research progesterone hypersensitivity, she discovered that once the eggs are released from her ovaries, an allergic reaction is triggered.
In fear of the symptoms resurfacing, Georgina subsequently made the decision to have her coil removed, and has returned to the contraceptive injection, which made her periods considerably more sparse.
"I feel so much better since having my coil removed," she added. "It was so painful and horrible, and we had no idea why it was happening.
"I work full time and have a daughter to look after, it was a lot to go through.
"I spent nearly £400 on creams to try and treat the problem - I desperate to make it stop."
Though Georgia insists she's she's 'over the moon' to have found an answer to her health battle, she is still awaiting an official diagnosis from her GP.
"It was such a surprise to me when I learnt about the condition," Georgina admitted. "I'm told it's a rare condition, but maybe it's not and people just know that they have it.
"It was shocking to think I'm actually allergic to my own periods."
She added, however, that she'd like to use her experience to 'raise awareness of progesterone hypersensitivity'.
"I knew it wasn't just eczema," she claimed. "You know your body and you should always listen to your gut."
Rhianna Benson