Claire

Claire, 40, lives in Wiltshire with her partner and their two children and has mild haemophilia. 

“My first thoughts were for my son Alfie when we were given his haemophilia diagnosis, but when I was given testing too, a lot of symptoms that I’ve been dealing with all my life made sense.  

 

We had no idea that in the family tree we carry these genes, so it’s all come out of the blue.

Claire

“I’d always known I was unusual. I bruise badly, very easily, and when people asked how I’d done it, I wouldn’t even know. I’ve also always had very bad periods, but doctors only gave me medication which was largely for the pain. I even had scans for endometriosis, but they were looking for the wrong thing and no-one thought to test my blood because awareness is just so low.  

“Finally, aged 38, and after Alfie was diagnosed, I was confirmed as being a haemophilia carrier and having mild haemophilia myself, with clotting levels of around 40%. My mum is a carrier but doesn’t have any symptoms, and my brother doesn’t have haemophilia. We had no idea that in the family tree we carry these genes, so it’s all come out of the blue.” 

Talking Red is the Haemophilia Society’s campaign to raise awareness of women’s bleeding disorders. Sign up for Talking Red Live which takes place on 5 March, 2022 in York for a chance to meet other women with bleeding disorders and hear from experts in treatment and care.