Gutted

Dr Stephanie H. Lipnicki, DACM, LAc

I feel the need to share how gutted I am since the announcement of the decimation of the rights of those with a uterus by SCOTUS.  The idea that those who have a uterus’ health and safety has now been eviscerated, leaves me angry, sad, among other things.

I might not have a uterus any longer - but I still acknowledge that those with a uterus deserve to have the care THEY choose, and not what some asshats pushing their religious agenda on others decide it should be.

In case you are unaware - let me share some of the horror stories that I have experienced in my lifetime. As well as some of the rights I had that are now on the line for others. 

I talk about endometriosis a LOT. A LOT A LOT. 

BUT that is because there are SO SO SO many traumas that go with it. 

From my very first period I experienced EXCRUCIATING PAIN.  I was 12 and just kept hearing from my Dr (pediatrician mind you not a GYN) that it was Dysmenorrhea (aka painful cramps). It took me 16 YEARS to be diagnosed with endometriosis and that is because I finally found someone to listen to me. And by then it was Stage IV - the worst stage - requiring that my left ovary and fallopian tube be removed.

But there is so much between those years. 

When my first ovarian cyst ruptured at 17, the treatment for that was Birth Control Pills (BCPs). Guess what is now on the line for being stripped as a right - the right to contraception. So you can’t have an abortion but you also won’t be able to prevent pregnancy????

And then numerous times over the years Drs would prescribe Birth Control Pills (BCPs), Depo Provera (a birth control shot) to manage my pain like they would if it was Endo - even though I had not been diagnosed  - which removal of the endometrial tissue is a key in controlling this shitty disease. 

At 20, I was in a relationship that resulted in a pregnancy. A pregnancy that despite being so young, I wanted. 

BUT this would have been MY CHOICE. 

When I started spotting at 10 weeks, I panicked. I went to St Peter’s Hospital, foolishly thinking a Catholic Hospital would do whatever they could to prevent a miscarriage.

The Dr (ironically named Dr Callous) proceeded to tell me as I sat there crying, that he didn’t know why I was crying - I wasn’t really that pregnant anyway. I see. 

That relationship ended and then during my marriage, prior to having my children, I would have 2 more miscarriages. 

One that happened on its own, and one that required a D&C. 

Each of those miscarriages was as traumatic as the others. But the one requiring a D&C - maybe that was the worst. At 10 weeks I went in for my ultrasound (US). No heartbeat. I begged the Dr to repeat the test. She sent me for an advanced US the next week. Yolk sac. No heartbeat. 

It was explained to me that if my body didn’t take care of the miscarriage itself, I had to have a D&C, and that if not, the tissue could decompose, become infected, and I could become septic. I could die. 

How could this be happening to me? 

When I woke up after the procedure, I still had morning sickness, a cruel reminder of what I had longed for. 

Later, when I would finally have the surgery to determine whether I had  endometriosis, there was so much scar tissue that was impeding the ability to stay pregnant, and my left ovary and fallopian tube, encased in scar tissue, was removed.

Now after multiple IUIs and the endo surgery, we would try IVF. We got 11 eggs from my remaining ovary, 7 of them fertilized, 5 were viable, 2 were implanted. 

It worked on the first cycle. Those twins are now 19. 

I would later conceive on my own after doing Acupuncture and Herbs to maintain my health. 

The remaining 3 embryos were donated to medical research. 

Under the current laws, would I have been required to carry every embryo? 

Am I now a murderer?

I had a couple last year that I helped with Acupuncture and they ended up with 18 embryos - would she be required to carry every one of them? She would be pregnant for almost 14 years!

WHAT THE F*CK?

If ever there was ANY question as to as a mother, a daughter,  a sister, a friend, and a healthcare provider - let me reiterate the things I will stand for and fight for: 

• I may not be Black, Asian American, Pacific Islander, a Person of Color, Transgender, or LGBTQIA+,  BUT I  am a female who is working to dismantle systems of the patriarchy, racism, sexism, and any other ism that harms others. I am committed to breaking down systems of oppression, and I am constantly trying to learn how I can be the best co-conspirator and ally when it comes to those who experience oppression.
  

• The fact that changes are only being made now that those oppressed are finding their voices is disheartening. Sitting back and benefiting from systems of oppression linked to a country whose foundation is steeped in Slavery and Racism doesn’t make the benefits of White Privilege acceptable.
  

• I am committed to making changes wherever I possibly can, in my own community and as far as I can allow my reach to be felt. This is a life or death fight for those who are oppressed and I stand with those that need me on their side.
  

• Thank you for continuing to grow with me and my center. I want you to hold me accountable as I will hold you accountable. If you have any doubts about where you stand in the fight for any of these rights, this is not the place for you. 

If you have read this far and are still here, I can see we are on the same page. 

Not speaking of these issues, and saying these topics are taboo reeks of white privilege. 

My business is me and I am my business and I cannot separate parts of myself. I will always unapologetically be me.