I was ‘six months pregnant' for years and had no idea – I thought I had PCOS but the truth was far more terrifying
Darcie Kitchener went to her GP last year, after struggling with irregular periods and hair loss.
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Her symptoms aligned with those of PCOS, so her GP referred her for a blood test and an ultrasound so that doctors could investigate the issue.
Darcie was nervous during the invasive procedure, but her anxiety started to skyrocket after the doctor looked at the ultrasound screen and simply said: "I'm just going to get my colleague."
The doctor brought a colleague over, whose jaw dropped when they too saw what was on the screen.
"You should have the results in a few days", the second doctor said, without giving Darcie any inclination as to what they had found.
A few days later, Darcie is called by the doctor, who informs her that "it's not just PCOS", and that she needs to come in and see the doctor again.
Following an MRI scan, Darcie was informed that she had a teratoma, which is a rare type of germ cell tumour that can contain teeth, hair, bone and muscle.
Teratoma are usually benign, and can go unnoticed for years, while they grow and grow inside you.
Darcie's teratoma was a whopping 22cm, making it roughly the same size as a six month old foetus.
"I'd been consistently gaining weight since I was about 20, and I never understood why", she revealed in a TikTok video.
Darcie had put the weight gain down to a number of health issues and the fact that she "loves McDonald's", so had never properly investigated it.
Understanding Teratoma Tumors
She had also never questioned why her stomach was "hard", around the area where the cyst was growing.
Darcie's teratoma didn't have any teeth, but did have lots of bone and hair.
"We named her Gemma", she said.
"I spent months in pure terror, just knowing that this was existing inside me.
How serious are teratoma tumours?
A teratoma is a rare type of germ cell tumour that can contain teeth as well as more complete body parts.
They start in your reproductive cells, like the eggs and sperm.
This is why they can turn into many different types of tissue, like hair, muscle, liver, brain and even eyes.
Most teratomas are benign, meaning they are noncancerous.
However, it's still important to have them removed.
If not removed, they can rupture and cause infection.
In some cases, they can turn malignant (cancerous).
Malignant teratomas require chemotherapy to get rid of.
In most cases, these tumours don't spread like aggressive cancers.
As a result, most teratomas — even cancerous ones — have excellent survival rates with early diagnosis and treatment.
What are the symptoms?
People with teratomas may not show any symptoms at first.
Once symptoms develop, they can vary significantly depending on the tumour's location.
General teratoma symptoms may include:
Pain
Bleeding
Swelling
Slightly elevated levels of the hormone BhCG (beta-human chorionic gonadotropin)
Slightly elevated levels of tumour marker AFP (alpha-fetoprotein)
But you may also develop specific additional symptoms based on the location of the teratoma tumour.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
"It was just horrific to know that this thing was in there, and I had no idea what it was".
Darcie had to live with "Gemma" inside her for five months before she was able to get surgery to remove it.
"Everyone keeps asking me how I lost weight", she said.
"Erm, childbirth. I birthed a baby named Gemma who was full of bones and hair and who is obviously no longer with us."
Darcie's (@audhdarcie) video has likely left many open-mouthed, as it has gone viral, racking up over 1.1million views on the video sharing platform.
TikTok users raced to the video's comments section to share their thoughts on her horrific ordeal.
One person said: "This happened to me
"It was so scary. Apparently mine had a lot of teeth."
A second person said: "My dad had a teratoma in his leg and he used to say it was his evil twin."
A third person said: "New fear unlocked."
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