UK Woman's 20-Year Battle With Painful Periods Traced To Cyst With Hair, Teeth

Valentina Milanova, a London-based entrepreneur originally from Bulgaria, has revealed her two-decade struggle with debilitating period pain that was eventually traced to an 8cm ovarian cyst, filled with hair and teeth. The shocking discovery led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition affecting millions worldwide, Manchester Evening News reported. 

Ms Milanova, now 30, got her first period at just nine but, without any education about menstruation, feared she was gravely ill. "I thought I was dying or had some mysterious disease," she recalled.

By age 11, severe pain and heavy bleeding forced her parents to seek medical help. She was prescribed contraceptive pills - the standard treatment for period pain - but her symptoms only worsened. At 14, the pain became so intense she missed an entire year of school and made frequent trips to emergency rooms, often undergoing invasive tests.

Doctors even suspected conditions like E. coli infections, kidney disease, and ectopic pregnancy, despite Ms Milanova insisting she was not sexually active.

It wasn't until an intravaginal scan at 15 that doctors found the cyst, later confirmed as a dermoid cyst - a benign tumour that can contain hair, teeth, and skin tissue. Alongside the cyst, she was diagnosed with PCOS, a hormonal disorder that causes irregular periods, excess androgen levels, and ovarian cysts.

While the diagnosis offered some relief, her struggle continued. She frequently battled severe pelvic pain, bloating, and heavy menstrual bleeding - symptoms she says are often dismissed or misdiagnosed in women worldwide.

In 2018, determined to transform period care and address gaps in women's health, Ms Milanova founded Daye, a startup offering diagnostic tampons and pelvic pain management tools. The company's innovations have helped over 100,000 women in the UK and are contributing to research on vaginal health.

"My story is just one of many showing how women's pain is deprioritised. We can't keep passing this challenge to the next generation - we need solutions now," she said.

Ms Milanova now manages her pain through targeted therapies, including pelvic floor stretches and heat therapy, but says her battle highlights the urgent need to close the gender health gap.