Episode 17 - MRKH and the journey to being called 'Mum' with Jemma Lawson

In episode 17 Emma and Kaitlyn speak with Jemma Lawson about her journey of infertility after being diagnosed with MRKH. After Jemma failed to get her period at age 17 she had an ultrasound where it was discovered that she didn't have a uterus, after which a health professional told her it looks like she should have been a boy. Jemma also shares her journey to being called 'Mum' which includes surrogacy, IVF, kinship care and her experience on the trial for a uterine transplant. MRKH or Mayer-rokitanksy-kuster-hauser syndrome is a congenital disorder that affects the female reproductive tract. About 1 in every 5000 newborn girls are born with this condition where the uterus and vagina fail to develop properly but the external genitalia is normal. The exact cause of the syndrome is not yet known. MRKH doesn’t look the same for every woman who has it, there may be variations in ovaries, kidneys, the vaginal cavity may be short and other conditions such as hearing loss and scoliosis are seen in some women. For most women MRKH is diagnosed after she fails to get her period during an age appropriate for puberty.You can follow Jemma @jemma.mrkh on instagram Kaitlyn @the_rehab_mamaand you can find Emma @emmagray_____ to stay up to date with the podcast and where we speak all things early parenthood. If you like the episode please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast. www.beyondblue.org.auwww.pinkelephants.org.auhttps://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=377613&isReview=true