Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are tumors or growths, made up of Muscle cells and other tissues that grow within the wall of the Uterus (or womb). Fibroids are sometimes called tumors, they are almost always benign, which means not cancerous. The medical term for fibroids is uterine leiomyomata. Fibroids can grow as a single growth or in groups. Their size can vary from small, like a seed or less than one inch, to eight inches across or more.

Symptoms

Heavy Bleeding or painful periods

Bleeding between periods

Feeling of fullness in the pelvic area (lower abdomen)

Urinating often

Pain during sex

Lower Back Pain

Reproductive problems

Infertility

Having more than one miscarriage

Having early onset of labor during pregnancy

High Risk Factors

·       Most of the time, fibroids grow in women of childbearing age.

·       African American women are more likely to get them than women of other racial groups.

·       African American women tend to get fibroids at a younger age than do other women.

·       Women who are overweight or obese also are at a slightly higher risk for fibroids than women who are not overweight.

·       Women who have given birth appear to be at a lower risk for fibroids.

Causes

No one knows for sure what causes fibroids. You can develop fibroids for many reasons.  Some reasons could include:

• Hormonal (affected by Estrogen levels)
• Genetic (running in families)
• Environmental
• Combination of all three of thee above.

Because no one knows for sure what causes fibroids, we also don't know what causes them to grow or shrink. For the most part, fibroids stop growing or shrink after menopause. But, this is not true for all women with fibroids.

The causes of uterine fibroids are unknown, but estrogens, especially estradiol, promote their growth. After menopause fibroids disappear. But because Estrogen levels can rise during the early menopausal years, previously asymptomatic fibroids may grow in the years just before the cessation of menses, resulting in symptoms such as feeling of heaviness in the belly, low Back Pain, pain with vaginal penetration, urinary frequency or incontinence, bowel difficulties, or severe menstrual pain and flooding.

Women of color are three to nine times more likely to have fibroids than white women, and theirs will grow more quickly.

Fibroid tumors are not Cancer, not malignant. Tumor means a swelling or a growth, not a malignancy, not Cancer. Less than 0.1% of all uterine fibroids are malignant.

Small fibroids often disappear spontaneously. Larger fibroids are more difficult to resolve, but not impossible to control with natural measures.

Diagnosis

Your doctor may find that you have fibroids when you see her or him for a regular pelvic exam to check your Uterus, ovaries, and Vagina. Often, a doctor will describe how small or how large the fibroids are by comparing their size to the size your Uterus would be if you were pregnant. Your doctor can do imaging tests, or tests that create a "picture" of the inside of your body without surgery, in order to confirm that you have fibroids. These tests might include:

·       Ultrasound - uses sounds waves to produce the picture.

·       MRI - uses magnets and    radio waves to produce the picture.

·       X-rays - use a form of radiation to see into the body and produce the picture.

·       Cat scan or CT - makes many pictures of the body from different angles to provide a more complete image.

If you have fibroids, but do not have any symptoms, you may not need any treatment. But your doctor will check during your regular exams to see if they have grown.

Surgical treatments for fibroids

Besides imaging tests, you also might need a surgery to know for sure if you have fibroids. These could include:

Laparoscopy - surgery with general anesthesia in which your doctor makes a small cut in the abdomen and places a small tube with a light inside to see any fibroids.

Hysteroscopy - This is a surgery in which your doctor inserts a long tube with a camera into the Vagina and directly into the Uterus to see any fibroids that exist. It also shows any growths or problems inside the Uterus.

Medications
If you have fibroids and have mild symptoms, your doctor might only suggest pain medication. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, or other painkillers such as acetaminophen can be used for mild pain. If pain becomes worse, your doctor can prescribe a stronger painkiller.

Medical Treatment

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE)

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a treatment that cuts off the blood supply to the Uterus and the fibroids so they shrink. UFE is proving to be an alternative to hysterectomy and myomectomy. The recovery time is also shorter, and there is a much lower risk of needing a blood transfusion than for these surgeries. Many women can have UFE and go home the same day. There is a small risk of infection in the treated fibroid, but these are usually managed with antibiotics. Recent studies also suggest that most fibroid tumors are not likely to re-grow after UFE, although more long-term data is needed.

Not all fibroids can be treated with UFE. All patients must first be evaluated with ultrasound or MRI to make sure the fibroids will respond well to this treatment. Doctors called interventional radiologists perform UFE. The best candidates for UFE are women who:

·        have fibroid tumors that are causing heavy Bleeding

·        have fibroid tumors that are causing pain or pressing on the bladder or rectum

·        don’t want to have a hysterectomy

·        don’t want to have more children

Treatment:

• Consuming three or more servings of whole grains or beans daily not only reduces the size of fibroids but offers protection from breast and endometrial cancers as well.

• Reduce the use of Red clover flowers (Trifolium pratense) Tea infusions; the use during the menopausal years may increase difficulty with fibroids.

• Strengthening the liver with herbs such as dandelion, milk thistle seed, or yellow dock root helps it metabolize Estrogen out of the body, thus reducing fibroids.

• Vitex or chasteberry Tincture, 25-30 drops two to four times daily, often shrinks small fibroids within two months. But results come from long-term use — up to two years

• Poke root (Phytolacca americana), used internally as a Tincture (1-10 drops per day; start small) and externally as a belly rub oil, has gained a reputation as a profound helper in relieving pain and distresses from fibroids. CAUTION: Poke is considered poisonous; it is not often found for sale. This is one remedy you may have to make yourself to try.

• Warm castor oil packs on the belly, or ginger compresses (soak a towel in hot ginger water) relieve pain and help shrink the fibroids.