38-Year-Old Mom Discovers She’s Had Brain Tumor for 15 Years After Doctors Dismissed Her Headaches as Postpartum Anxiety

NEED TO KNOW

• Jodie Boulton’s brain tumor went undiagnosed for six years after doctors attributed her symptoms to postpartum anxiety

• The tumor was diagnosed as a low-grade meningioma following surgery in March 2025

• Boulton was told by doctors at the University Hospital Cardiff in Wales that she had the tumor for at least 15 years

A mother in Wales discovered she had a brain tumor six years after her doctor told her that her symptoms were due to anxiety over her newborn baby.

Jodie Boulton, 38, started experiencing headaches after her son Cooper was born in 2020. The headaches continued for years as her doctor told her it was down to anxiety she had over her baby, according to the U.K. charity Brain Tumour Research.

“I went back and forth to my GP numerous times over six years and it was repeatedly put down to anxiety after having a baby,” Boulton told the charity. “I trusted that explanation, but deep down I knew something wasn’t right.”

In March 2025, Boulton was sent to have an MRI scan by a different doctor after her periods stopped, which picked up a tumor “as big as a satsuma” in her pituitary gland.

“When I was finally told there was a mass, I felt angry and relieved at the same time; angry that I had suffered for six years without answers, but relieved that I finally knew the cause and hoped something could be done,” she said.

Boulton was told by doctors at the University Hospital Cardiff that the mass “had likely been there for 15 to 20 years” and was affecting her hormones, which caused her menstrual cycle to stop.

In June 2025, she had surgery to remove the mass after she also started “developing balance problems and double vision.”

“I just wanted it gone,” Boulton said to the charity. “…I had a 12-hour surgery. They removed 85% of the tumour, but 15% is wrapped around my optic nerve and couldn’t be removed. Thankfully, it was confirmed to be a low-grade meningioma.”

Meningioma is the most common form of brain tumor in adults, making up 30-37% of all adult central nervous system tumors, and is mostly non-cancerous. It develops in the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord, according to Brain Tumour Research.

Boulton was told that she may need radiotherapy to clear up the rest of the tumor and ten days after her surgery, she experienced complications after developing an infection.

“My wound started oozing … I raised my concerns during a follow-up call with my consultant and was invited back to Cardiff to be checked,” Boulton said to the organization. “… [My consultant] lifted the dressing and was horrified. It was the wrong type of dressing and there were clear signs of infection.”

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Boutlon had emergency surgery to remove part of her skull as the infection had spread to the bone. She is now healed of her symptoms and is waiting to have a titanium plate fitted to her skull, per Brain Tumour Research.

“I have to wear a hard hat everywhere I go to protect my skull,” said Boulton. “It’s been incredibly difficult with a six-year-old … I can’t work because of the health and safety risks, and I feel like I’ve lost my independence.”

“I feel angry that if the wound had been treated properly, my life might already be back to normal,” she added.

Read the original article on People