A woman left “on the brink of death” with a burst ovarian cyst which caused a litre of blood to pool in her stomach has urged others to “advocate for your body”. Daisy Wilson, 22, based in Oxford, said she has no history of cysts around her reproductive organs and was not aware she had any when, in October 2024, she started to experience a sharp, “pinching” pain towards her lower ribs after having sex with her boyfriend of two years, Alex Marsh, 24.
Thinking she might be experiencing period cramps, Daisy went to the toilet but the pain became “agonising” – and when she stood up, she fainted and collapsed, hitting and cutting her head on the shower before her boyfriend rushed in. Experiencing severe abdominal pains which came in waves, Daisy and Alex went to the A&E department at the John Radcliffe Hospital and after several hours of CT scans, X-Rays and tests, it was discovered Daisy was suffering with internal bleeding where a litre and a half of blood was sitting in her belly.
She was prepped for keyhole surgery in order for doctors to investigate and when she awoke the next day, Daisy was informed a cyst on her right ovary had ruptured and had to be stitched up during the operation. After spending a few days recovering, Daisy decided to share her experience on TikTok to raise awareness where one of her videos gained over one million views – and she has noticed thousands of women flocking to the comment section to say they have experienced similar, life-threatening situations.
“The morning it all happened I did a heavy gym session, I went and had a great day at work… it just shocked me that you can be so normal and then on the brink of death, saying goodbye to my boyfriend,” Daisy, a developmental scientist, told PA Real Life.
“If it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone. I was trying to think of anything (the pain) could be, period cramps or constipation, but you know your body the best – advocate for your body.”
Daisy said she experienced “no symptoms” or any indication a cyst on her ovary could be about to burst. “I would have never suspected anything,” she said. On October 25 2024, Daisy said she returned home from work where she and her boyfriend of two years, whom she lives with, had sex.
“Immediately afterwards, I had this really weird stabbing pain in the side of my belly, just where your last rib ends,” she said. “It was a pinching, stabbing pain, it caught me off-guard, it was agonising.”
Daisy initially assumed she was experiencing period cramps and went to the toilet, but she found it difficult to walk due to pain in her legs. “I thought I was constipated, I was in so much pain and sitting on the toilet,” she said.
“I started getting really light-headed, really dizzy, and really hot.”
When she stood up to leave the bathroom, Daisy said she fainted and collapsed, cutting her head on the glass pane on her shower. Thankfully her boyfriend rushed in straight away and the pair called 111, before they were asked to attend an appointment at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to see a doctor.
Once there, Daisy spent several hours undergoing external exams, X-Rays, blood tests and blood pressure tests – but doctors were baffled as to what could be causing her symptoms. She was given morphine to numb the pain and the cut on her head was attended to, but Daisy still struggled with the intense feelings in her abdomen.
She said: “I kept saying ‘my belly is in pain’ and one doctor started pressing on it to examine it – and I started screaming. “I was gripping onto my boyfriend’s arm, I could have drawn blood. I was so focused on not feeling pain, I didn’t think about anything else.
“The doctor looked bewildered, I don’t think he’s ever seen somebody scream in pain like that.”
After being taken to a specialist assessment unit at the hospital, it was found Daisy’s blood pressure was very low and doctors thought she could be suffering with internal bleeding. She was taken for a CT scan which revealed a litre-and-a-half pool of blood sitting in her stomach.
“They didn’t know what caused it, they didn’t know why it was bleeding, but they could see a massive blob in my belly,” Daisy said, adding she was prepared for keyhole surgery so doctors could investigate. When Daisy awoke the following day, she was told they had confirmed one cyst on her right ovary had haemorrhaged and was later stitched up during the operation.
“I’ve got pictures of the surgery photos of what they found inside my body,” she said.
Daisy decided to share her experience on TikTok to raise awareness, where her most popular video on the topic amassed over one million views, but she was shocked to see many others on the platform expressing they had been in similar, life-threatening situations due to ovarian cysts.
“Since sharing that video, I would say it’s gone semi-viral,” she said. “I’ve got hundreds, even thousands, of women saying that this has happened to them before.
“Every single comment has been unique and it blows my mind there is such little awareness over this because it’s so different for everyone.”
Daisy hopes others will be encouraged to speak up and seek treatment if they feel something is wrong. (The hospital) were doing their best and I’m really thankful for them but I should have known there was something wrong, I should have taken myself more seriously,” she said.
“If you have a suspicion that there is something up with your belly or your ovaries, agonising pain is not normal, and you should never delay getting treatment.”