I decided to write this post as I have fibroids. I have had an operation to remove them but they have come back and they do cause me some issues.
Often these may go undiagnosed and may be masked by other symptoms, they certainly were for me.
So how did I find out?
How it all started.
I have always had relatively light periods, and on the whole, mainly pain free. I would be a bit of a grumpy mare at times but generally managed to get through my periods with few issues.
I noticed a few years ago that my periods had started to get heavier and incredibly painful. At times I was physically rocking in pain. I had started to wear tampons and sanitary towels as I was bleeding so heavily, one or the other wasn’t sufficient to stem the flow anymore. This gradually increased to me having to wear two sanitary towels and a tampon, and then having to change all of them at least every 30 minutes. I genuinely felt like I was bleeding to death!
I spoke to my doctor, who quite frankly didn’t seem to have much of a clue, and he suggested I needed to have a contraceptive coil fitted. I went along to the clinic and discussed my issues. I was told that usually within about 3 months of having the coil fitted, the bleeding would stop. So I had the coil fitted and looked forward to it all stopping.
The painful periods continued.
The heavy bleeding continued.
I went back to the doctors to then be told that it could take up to about 9 months for it all to settle down.
So I persevered, hoping it would all stop.
Nine months later, I was still in a lot of pain, and the bleeding hadn’t stopped. It was having a significant impact on my life.
I went back to the doctors.
Then they told me that what I was experiencing was “normal” for my age (I was 45 years old then) and that this sometimes happens as we get older. Pretty much told to grin and bear it.
Now, I’m not an avid fan of the medical profession at the best of times, so being told there was nothing they could do seemed a bit of a cop out to me, so I asked for a second opinion. I was sent for a scan of my uterus.
Low and behold….they discovered I had a fibroid. Their conclusion? This was what was causing the problem. Their solution? They suggested that the fibroid would go away if I got pregnant!
WHAT?! That seemed a bit drastic, could they not operate? Turns out, they could operate! Not sure why they didn’t offer that as the option in the first place!
So what are fibroids?
The first thing to note is that fibroids are usually not cancerous. They are benign muscular tumours which grow on the wall of the uterus (womb). The number of fibroids can vary, sometimes it is one, sometimes it is several. They also vary in size and shape.
Why do they develop?
Whilst the exact cause isn’t actually known, they have been linked to the hormone oestrogen.
They usually develop during a woman’s reproductive years when oestrogen levels are at their highest and tend to shrink when oestrogen levels drop (such as after the menopause).
Research shows that women who have had children have a lower risk of developing fibroids (possibly the reason why it was suggested I have children!) and the risk further decreases the more children you have (according to the NHS website www.nhs.uk)
Also, being overweight can increase the level of oestrogen in the body, so this may also be a contributory factor in developing fibroids.
How many types are there?
There are three main types of fibroid.
Intramural fibroids – as the name suggests, these develop in the muscle wall of the womb
Subserosal fibroids – these are the ones I have. These develop on the outside wall of the womb and can become very large. They can grow into the pelvis.
Submucosal fibroids – these develop in the muscle beneath the womb’s inner lining and grow into the cavity of the womb.
Sometimes these fibroids can have a stalk attached to them and these are known as pedunculated fibroids.
How are they treated?
Often they go away on their own. As previously mentioned, they seem to be linked to oestrogen levels, and as your levels drop, so the fibroids shrink. This is good news for those going through menopause or on the other side of it.
When they have a significant impact on your life, you may be recommended to take medication to help relieve the symptoms. These medications will block the production of oestrogen and can include the coil and tranexamic acid (although not prescribed together). You may also be prescribed oral or injected progesterone only contraception.
If none of these work, then surgery may be suggested. The surgery I had involved the use of small surgical instruments inserted in the womb and the fibroid was cut away. In some cases, a hysterectomy may be recommended.
Is there any good news?
Of course there is! There are options available as outlined above.
I’m not sure if my lack of periods is due to the menopause or from having had a particularly troublesome fibroid removed. I still have them and sometimes I feel some discomfort with them, but nowhere near what I did before.
What I would say, is don’t be fobbed off by your doctor like I was, telling me it was an age thing. Not everything can be put down to it being your age.
I had 20 months, yes 20 months of continual heavy bleeding before surgery, by which point I was bordering on being anaemic.
That isn’t an acceptable way to be treated for this condition and the impact it was having on my life was unbearable.
However, I am looking forward to getting through the menopause with very few problems with my fibroids and definitely looking forward to not having them on the other side. Still not having children though, the effects of that are much more long lasting than surgery!
Karen Raistrick has been in the business of wellbeing for over 6 years and has a lot of experience in managing stress, adapting to change and dealing with life’s challenges. Mainly done with a smile on her face, usually positive, often grumpy if she hasn’t had a cup of tea!