I did a blog a couple of weeks ago on PCOS and it got me thinking about fibroids (another complication of the uterus). Fibroids are growths that happen in a woman’s uterus. They are not cancerous, and often we don’t even know we have them if they don’t cause any issues. But when they do cause symptoms, they are horrible. I experienced this first hand, and I wanted to share my experience with you.
Symptoms and Causes of Fibroids
Fibroids can cause heavy and painful periods. Your periods may last longer or be more frequent. You can have pelvic pressure or pain with fibroids. It can also mean you experience pain during sex, depending on the location of the fibroid.
While it’s not really known exactly what causes fibroids, they usually grow during your reproductive years, when your hormone levels are higher. If you are of African descent, you are at a higher risk for fibroids. Family history and obesity are also risk factors for them.
My Story
This article is important to me because I experienced a lot of difficulties due to fibroids. When I was in my early forties, I had a lot of pain during my cycle. My periods were often heavy, and I would struggle to carry on with normal life for that week every month or two (they were also irregular). I couldn’t stand for any length of time without feeling a strong pressure in my lower pelvic region. I finally went to my doctor and he sent me to a specialist. My doctor diagnosed me with fibroids.
It was not fun to be at an obstetrician’s office with a bunch of young, pregnant women. I felt very conspicuous as someone who was likely too old to be having babies at that point. The first obstetrician I visited put me on a medication to shrink the fibroids. He told me if I was still having issues after 6 months, they would look at other options. Well, 6 months later nothing had changed, so I went back to him. He talked a lot about his issues with the healthcare system and, almost as an afterthought, prescribed me another 6 months of the medication.
Are Fibroids Just a Fact of Life?
After almost a year of still being in constant discomfort and downright pain, I called to make another appointment with the obstetrician. Turns out, he had left the province because he could make more money elsewhere in the country. There was another doctor taking over his patients and they gave me an appointment in about two months time.
When I finally got to his new obstetrician, he told me fibroids were a fact of life for “women your age” and continued my medication to try to shrink the fibroids. I didn’t know what to do. It had been over a year on this medication, and I hadn’t seen any changes. Sex was painful, my periods (when I had them) were extremely painful, and I couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes at a time.
Life with Fibroids
We took our daughter to Disney World. What do you do there? You stand in line. I was in agony for so much of that time. This was ruining my life, and no one seemed to care about it. Bill convinced me to make another appointment with the doctor. I wasn’t sure there was any point, but I did.
About that time, I went to a management retreat for work. While there, I started bleeding. This was not a normal period – this was gushing blood. I waited a couple of hours, and my boss finally told me to get in the car – she was driving me to the hospital. The emergency doctor did a quick consultation with his wife, who was an obstetrician, and determined that this medication I was on should be be only taken for a few months at a time and my bleeding was due to my body thinking I was having a very long and intense period.
When I went to make another appointment with my obstetrician, they told that he had retired from practice. Turns out, I was not the only one who had some issues with his approach. They referred me to yet another doctor.
My Conclusion
This time, my doctor was a woman. She looked over my file and my ultrasounds. She noted I was in my mid forties by this time, and she asked me what I wanted to do. Did I want to try a different medication or have a hysterectomy? I started to cry. Not because of my options, but because she actually asked me my opinion. After a year and a half of being in pain and dismissed by doctors, I had a say over my body. A few weeks later I had a hysterectomy and I have never regretted it.
Can Keto Help with Fibroids?
Obesity is one of the risk factors for fibroids, and I’m sure it added to my discomfort. It won’t shrink them or prevent them, but it may help with some of the symptoms of them. Like I say for many health concerns, getting to a healthy weight certainly won’t hurt anything, and it will most likely help. But for me, it was having a doctor who listened to my concerns and gave me back control over my body that was the biggest help!
Wendy
