Lynsey Bennett reflects on her hysterectomy five years later

She shared the impact the procedure had on her self-worth.

Lynsey Bennett, who was one of the many women impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal in Ireland, has shared her thoughts on the hysterectomy she underwent five years ago today. Taking to Instagram, Lynsey shared a series of photos from the day of her surgery, and spoke about how she "mourned the loss of a child" that she will never be pregnant with. She wrote: "I am extremely lucky to have my girls when may people aren't fortunate to have one child but it was my pain my reality my life and my mind who had to comprehend and work through." Lynsey then shared how the hysterectomy impacted her sense of self and ushered in negative thoughts and made her feel like "damaged goods", as she wouldn't be able to get pregnant again. Lynsey went on to say that, thankfully, those thoughts are "slowly getting quieter" as she gets older. She explained that when self-doubt tries to tell her that she is a "failure", or "broken", she settles her mind by realising that, just like her cancer, not being able to have children "is one part" of who she is. "It's not the only thing that makes me and even though it's hard to remember especially on extremely tough days I try to remember to live and smile and be grateful for the parts of me that still have a chance to be happy in life," she wrote. Lynsey then spoke about how she would love to set up a support group for other women who have had hysterectomies. She said: "How I would love to set up a group zoom and one in person too for anyone who has had a hysterectomy and many other different groups to not feel alone to maybe learn from listening to someone else which may help them through hard moments."