As many as 70% of you will have fibroids developing in your child bearing ages, and you may not know because you may not show any symptoms. The under-diagnosis is associated with mild symptoms and the fact that better education is needed for women to understand when to seek help. As discussed in PMS, the new normal for women is period pain, heavy bleeding and PMS, but this doesn’t have to be you. Just because it’s common, it doesn’t mean it’s normal.
The Fibroids that are found in your uterus can be one or multiple. There is controversial discussion whether or not they can be cancerous, however they may affect fertility. Therefore, it’s important to get to the root cause of your predisposing factors. These fibroids tend to cause pelvic pain and heavier bleeding, especially if they are large (it can be as large as a few month old fetus!).
Symptoms include: abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pain, obstructive effects on bladder or rectum, infertility / miscarriages, heavy bleeding, shortened cycles, prolonged bleeding, pain / bleeding with / after intercourse, anemia (low iron), bloating / abdominal fullness or pressure (depending on size), frequent urination (depending on location), bleeding between menstrual period, lower back pain. Remember, no two bodies are the same so symptoms can be presented differently. Some women may even be able to feel the fibroid by palpation.
The reason that not many women are diagnosed properly is because a lack of symptoms or because they have accepted their fate to heavy painful bleeding. You need a licensed regulated and qualified Naturopathic Doctor to do an in-depth intake, get curious about your hormones and determine the possible cause. Your medical doctor will refer you to an ultrasound or sonohysterography in order to diagnose you with fibroids. Ruling out cancer, PCOS, endometriosis and other conditions is a must. If you are diagnosed with fibroids, it is recommended to get monitored on a yearly basis for growth and changes.
Dr. Tali does a thorough intake and communicates with your medical doctor if further testing is needed, should fibroids be suspected. She also offers a comprehensive hormone testing if necessary, which helps better understand your hormonal patterns, conversions and metabolites. This may help narrow down treatment to be more specific.
There are multiple factors that play a role on predisposing you to fibroids and there is no one definitive answer according to research.
Hormones – what we do know, is that fibroids are the cause of hormonal imbalance and growth is affected by estrogen / progesterone ratios. Meaning, fibroids are mostly a condition of estrogen dominance, where you either produce too much estrogen or have difficulty clearing it and detoxifying it properly. The reason why fibroids typically regress and disappear after menopause, is because estrogen significantly drops.
According to research, there are other factors that may predispose you to develop fibroids: genetic factors, early onset of period, caffeine, alcohol, obesity and hypertension. Caffeine, alcohol and obesity also affect estrogen balance in the body so that isn’t a surprise, right?
Research has determined that your ethnicity / race, genetics and income level may influence the severity of your symptoms. Caffeine, alcohol and obesity are also a good mix for you developing blood pressure, that’s why most likely, hypertension is on the list. There is clearly a strong pattern to all of this.
Diet, lifestyle, stress, and many other factors not only influence your hormonal status, but also increase severity of symptoms.
Dr. Tali’s natural treatment approach to managing fibroids includes reducing / shrinking growth, preventing new fibroids from occurring, managing symptoms, addressing the root cause (such as estrogen dominance), improving fertility and rebalancing hormones. It’s important to optimize health and increase overall well being. While it’s important to get to the underlined causes and practice evidence based medicine, it’s also important to address associated symptoms you are experiencing. Plenty of effective evidence based Naturopathic Medicine treatments to fibroids have been researched. Dr. Tali individualizes her treatment plan based on your body and needs, by using herbal medicine, diet, lifestyle, supplements and acupuncture. You want someone to get curious about your hormones and dive deep into your health. As part of patients’ treatment, education is key in order to understand your body better and how to work with it.
A note on conventional treatment – depending on your fibroids growth and severity of your symptoms, you may be given medications to manage pain, hormones to regulate growth and surgery if really severe. Some also use ultrasound therapy. It’s important to note, that even if you have surgery for removal of fibroids, if you don’t treat it from within and change you diet and lifestyle, they will come back. Conventional medicine hormonal medications for fibroid management will put you temporarily in a menopause like stage – Dr. Tali can help with symptoms management if you choose to remain on them.
PMID: 29259779