Woman who thought she was pregnant shocked to discover the truth

By Katie Pearson via SWNS

A woman looked nine months pregnant after she mistook an ovarian cyst for a baby -
and it grew to the size of a FOOTBALL inside of her stomach.

Hollie Welham, 21, believed she was expecting after she started feeling nauseous and
noticed her stomach growing in January 2022.

But when all the tests came back negative, Hollie was referred for an ultrasound as her
symptoms continued to worsen - including severe cramps, bleeding, and back pain.

Doctors discovered she wasn't carrying a baby, but a large cyst was growing on her
right ovary and while waiting for surgery to get it removed, Hollie watched has her
stomach expanded each day.

By the time she had keyhole surgery in May 2022, the cyst had grown to almost 11 inches and Hollie’s stomach had ballooned in size due to fluid build-up.

A surgeon at Musgrove Hospital, Taunton, UK, successfully removed the cyst, along with
her right ovary and fallopian tube, and Hollie has shrunk back to her normal size.

Hollie, a health care assistant, from Bridgwater, UK, said: “At first, I thought I was
pregnant.

“All of the symptoms pointed towards it because my stomach was growing bigger each
day.

“I can’t believe how big my tummy got - I looked nine months gone.

"I couldn't fit into any jeans and even leggings felt too tight and painful on my stomach.

“I was so uncomfortable, but I’m so pleased they spotted the cyst and managed to
remove it."

Initially, she just thought she has eaten too much during the holidays.

Hollie said: "I thought it was from overdoing it at Christmas.

"But when the bloating and pain got worse, I thought I might be pregnant.

"I took a few pregnancy tests, but everything came back negative.

"It was quite scary, and I had no idea what it could be or whether I was just going be like
this now."

In February 2022, Hollie also started experiencing irregular bleeding throughout the
month.

She booked an appointment with the GP to see what was causing the issues.

Hollie claims the doctor felt a 'lump' in her stomach and referred her for an ultrasound
scan.

She said: "They offered a scan for five weeks' time, but I couldn't wait that long.

"My stomach was getting bigger each day and I was in so much pain."

A week later, in March 2022, Hollie had a scan that revealed she had
a large cyst growing on her right ovary.

By this point, Hollie said her stomach felt 'solid' and she was continuing to bloat due to
a build-up of fluid.

"At the first scan, it was measuring in at about 18cm (7 inches) big," she said.

"I read anything over 10cm is large for a cyst on your ovary and quite rare.

"But they said it wasn't cancerous or anything to worry about.

"I can't believe how big I got - I looked like I was about to give birth, I had such a big
'bump'.

"I was in so much pain because it was a lot of extra weight to carry around.

"They had to remove my ovary as well because the cysts had grown inside of
it.

"It shouldn't affect my fertility - you can still have children with one ovary, it just might
take longer.

"I had some great support from my family and boyfriend Isaac.

"My stomach is still a bit sore and bloated but it's massively reduced in size.

“I want to share my story to help others look out for the signs and symptoms.

"It was quite scary at the time but I'm recovering well now."