Blood between life projects
a trajectory with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome
Keywords:
blood , infertility , sexual health , Rokitansky syndromeAbstract
In this article, I will present the therapeutic itineraries and life trajectory of a woman with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MKRH) syndrome, highlighting the centrality of bleeding in her life. The absence of menstruation is seen as a disruptive milestone in a diagnosis of a reproductive condition, making it possible to analyse this phenomenon as something that is attributed to normality in bodies that are read as female, as well as the possibility of creating life projects that are expected of women, linked to motherhood. However, in this case we will also see how the syndrome brings about another type of bleeding, linked to dilation of the vaginal canal, and how blood is signified and experienced in relation to other bodies and subjects, and how it becomes liable to mould subjectivities. The material on which these analyses are based comes from a semi structured interview conducted with this woman, which is part of my ongoing master's research, and allows me to reflect on the connections between health processes, biomedical practices and discourses, and notions of gender and normality.
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