Not something I literally thought only happened to me, but it's a crime that girls aren't taught in sex ed/health class that things commonly go wrong with the female reproductive system, so much so it's normal for something to come up.

Whether it's as minor as a yeast infection or as serious as PCOS, these things are glossed over or ignored.

So when I developed recurring bartholin cysts in college, I was beyond horrified. Turns out they're pretty common! All it is is a blocked gland, which in turn creates a cyst when vaginal fluid is unable to exit. Would have been nice to know ahead of time.

I didn't know girls grew body hair and had regular vaginal discharge. For a while I legitimately thought I was turning into a werewolf, and no, I can't explain how the pussy juice factored into that.

I thought I was the only one without any social supports. Now I hear about the “epidemic of loneliness”. I’m trying to reach out a lot more. I am most definitely not the only one.

When I nursed my kids, right as the milk dropped I would get this wave of overwhelming DOOM, like absolutely nauseating fear, and then it would pass. I really thought I was crazy, had some hangup or fear around breastfeeding, some trauma I couldn't remember, something.

I found out years later that it's a recognized disorder called DMER, some brain chemicals don't fire off fast enough to cushion you from whatever the fear-inducing chemical is that helps the milk let down. I had never even considered asking a doctor about it because I assumed it was something to do with my individual mind, or experience.

TIL, that DMER is a thing. Interesting. There's a chemical that induces the lactation but also creates that fear feel?

Apparently dopamine has to drop very sharply to allow whatever hormone causes the milk to let down and for some of us it drops too sharply and that is what causes the fear and anxiety. It always passed quickly, and there isn't any treatment but even knowing I wasn't broken would have helped a lot.