Fibroids

[Firsttimer7259]

So I have lots, and they say that if they take the large ones out the likelihood is the small ones will grow into the space. Periods are getting harder to manage. Just been fitted with a mirena and will see if that helps over the next 6-12 months.

But at the coil fitting my uterus measures 25 weeks. I have big boobs and am big round the tummy and find it hard to dress for my shape. I guess my shape in all honesty is 'pregnant'
Its getting me down. What can I do?

Watching with interest Firsttimer, I am being investigated for fibroids atm. Awaiting a scan. My periods are horrendous,and I am Perimenopausal,too,so I am having a wonderful life.
Same big boobs and a round tummy...was a 12 now a tight 14 in trousers.
I do sympathise

Lots of fibroid issues here. I intend to put it with it as long as I can and think I will have a hysterectomy once I get peri menopausal (if not before)

Ditto - my uterus went up to at least 5-months pregnant in size. I'm otherwise skinny, so there was no hiding it. I had one large (the word 'huge' was used) fibroid and a small one, according to the MRI scan. The gynae would really like me to have a hysterectomy but I'm adamant that I don't want to go down that route. The coil wasn't an option as the fibroid was filling all the available space. Instead I'm having Zoladex injections (one a month for 6 months) in order to shrink them. I go for the 3rd injection in a couple of days, and I have to say it has worked a treat so far - stomach is totally back to normal, the pressure on my bladder has disappeared, and the horrendous periods have ceased.

The downside is - you can only have the treatment for a maximum of 6 months as it mimics the menopause and can cause bone-density problems if used for too long. And it's possible that it will come back at the end of the treatment. However, there's a chance that the treatment can bring on the natural menopause, and as I'm already 51 I felt that that wasn't a major issue for me. Chances are the fibroids will disappear once the natural menopause kicks in. If the fibroids come back at some point, as least I've had 6 months respite and will be 6 months closer to the menopause by the time the treatment ends.

Regarding the heavy periods - my doc prescribed transexemic acid to tide me over until the injections started, and it worked very well for me. You can buy it over the counter although it's not recommended for women over 45 unless you get it on prescription.

Ooo wicketkeeper thats useful

I have same- 5 month pg stomach, one fibroid thats grapefruit sized. Cant have mirena, they suggested zoldex implant but I honestly cant face the menopausal symptoms- DS is 4 and I'm only 38. My options seem to be: live with it!

It may be a bit lentil weaver-y but I read some research (via an MNer) regarding taking natural supplements to shrink fibroids. I will try and find the link to the article/s but it was basically drinking wheatgrass juice.

When I was pg with DD, my largest fibroid was 12cm, second was 10cm, third 8cm and I had a load of small ones as well. I had various fibroid related problems during the pregnancy and it took me 18 months to conceive dd and I had 2 miscarriages. When we were ttc our second, I had read about the supplements and started taking it just before I came off the pill. DS was conceived in the second month of trying, pregnancy was trouble free and my largest fibroid had shrunk from 12cm-8cm and the others had all shrunk as well. I obviously have no idea whether the supplements were responsible for the changes ...?

Off to have a look for the info

link to thread here third post down on page 3

Thanks Tilly - I will bear that in mind if mine return after the treatment ends. It's got to be better than a hysterectomy! I was quite alarmed at how quickly my gynae played the hysterectomy card ('you're 50, you're better off without it...) - but me and my uterus have been through a lot together, and unless I was suffering something life threatening I don't want to go through all that. I felt it was a bit of a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' for me.

I am a member of the fibroid gang I used to have really aweful heavy and tiring AF's where I would have to take time off work to sleep. It took me 18 months to get pregnant and during the pregnancy I had red degeneration which was worse than the labour pain. Unfortunaly my baby was stillborn (not due to the fibroid but a cord accident) So Im ttc again and well this month I have continued to spot after AF, I usually spot two days before and then two days after but this is now CD20 and Im still spotting. I think its the fibroids again, but I tried to make a doc's appointment but they cant see me till next week. I could get put on the daily triage list but I dont think this classes as an emergency. Im constintly going to the toilet and feel very bloated, I think they may have grown, I have several fibroids mine fortunatly are not as big as some of yours. My biggest are about 3cm each but I have 4 of them and then lots of small ones apparently. When I was pg they grew and made a cluster that measured nearly 20cm across and lots of people mistook it for the babies head.

Im 31 in January, and get lots of sympathic looks off doctors in the past, saying its unusaul for a girl my age to have so many, I was also told by one nurse that the pill can make them grow? Anybody else heard that one?

I'm so sorry for your loss greenzebra

Considering fibroids are so common, there is so much conflicting advice about them . I was told (and have read) that the increase in progesteron and oestrogen in early pregnancy makes fibroids grow. These are both present in the pill so it would make sense (to me ?) that it would also make them grow. However, I know that the pill is often prescribed to help treat the symptoms of fibroids (i.e. heavy, long, painful periods) so it all seems a bit strange to me

I'm another fibroid girl.

I've got one that's the size of a large grapefruit and a four smaller ones too. They gynae said she couldn't take them out because it is too risky and has also offered a hysterectomy as a solution. Periods are humdingers and restrict activity for the first day or two - I can't really be more than a minute or two from a loo - and of course with that I have anaemia which we can't seem to fix. We've been TTC for four years now but the fibroid is apparently preventing proper implantation which accounts for the 6 m/c's I've had.

I also look pregnant and have done for 5 years. It's not a good look.

I am not at all keen on my fibroids.

@ Glitterkitty - I have to say that the menopausal symptoms haven't been too bad at all. Hot flushes are fairly common, but with gas the price it is, think how much money I'm saving - I hardly ever have the heating on!! I guess it's different for everyone, and as I'd surely be going through the menopause sometime soon anyway maybe I'm 'ready for it' - but I can honestly say, so far so good, it really hasn't been awful. I would say that, due to your age, chances are they'll come back after the Zoladex, once your hormone levels rise again. And the problem with Zoladex is that you can only have one course of treatment.

I'm shocked that so many women suffer from them, and yet they're so little talked about - I'd heard of them, but didn't know anything about them until I was diagnosed. Had to get the doc to explain what they were!!!

Wow lots of us here and yet very little in terms of solutions. Such sympathy for all of you having difficulty with conceiving and pregnancy. I ahve a little girl, conceived with fibroids. They grew a bit in pregnancy and I had red degeneration which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Plus elective c section as fibroids were blocking the way out. But I was very focused then at just getting her born and everything else didnt matter.
I am now really struggling with periods and anemia. I am already on tranexamic acid which I would really recommmend for lowering blood loss (you only take it when you have your period and need to be careful you dint take it if pregnant but it really reduces the flow). However, I am wiped out once a month and really need to solve this somehow. I often think Id love to have the whole lot taken out, but thats just cos I havent any idea what the consequences of a hysterectomy are/could be. I am just so fed up with this, but I am only 36.

I guess the first thing is to stop self treating and taking my symptoms to the GP more regularly. I usually just compensate with iron supplements to tide me over. I think I will stiop and get regular readings of my non supplemented iron levels to get a picture of how bad it really is and hopefully persuade doctors to offer more in way of solutions.
Meantime might try some wheatgrass - altho I am reluctant to make too many dietary changes in the hope that something will give. I hate that this affects my life so insidiously and I cant really solve it!

I think part of the problem is that they're not life-threatening (although the poster upstream who has suffered numerous miscarriages would rightly disagree with that). They are uncomfortable, they make you feel fatter than you really are, they have knock-on effects (pressure on the bladder for example), they result in heavy bleeding which can lead to anaemia - but they're not life-threatening. This means that probably there isn't much in the way of funding. And in some ways us women are to blame - we don't like to talk about our wombs in polite society. If 70% of women have them by the time they're 50, how come I'm the only one I know?

No - you're right though. They haven't threatened my life so they don't seem to deserve any treatment. The gynae has been spectacularly useless tbh. The fertility problems they have caused have been devastating - especially as in the early stages, the gynae categorically denied that they could cause problems with fertility at all.

I know I didn't have any when I had a Mirena fitted about 7 years ago; but they've grown like topsy since it's been out (4 ish years). I can't help but think it's related.

I am absolutely fed up with them. I've been anaemic for over a year with my lowest reading so far down at 8.7 which was massively debilitating - but that does seem to be improving a bit at the moment.

How many of you are affected by heavy bleeding? And do they cause pain too?

I think that many fibroids are pretty symptom free - a bit like gall stones. There seems to be a ceiling, sort of, governed by size or number of them which suddenly flicks a switch to start causing trouble.

I had really awful bleeding for ages- (transfusion, drips etc, tired, SO tired all the time). It only stopped when I got serious about keeping my iron levels up. I think its to do with the anemia not allowing your blood to clot and so you keep bleeding...getting more anemic...etc...

I hate them- I'm fat, but the shape they give you is not just 'curvy' its 'pregnant'. Which is crap for self esteem and no clothes fit properly- have to buy bloody loose tops all the time, v hard work!

If you have the time & energy & money then you can investigate if you have an underlying hormonal imbalance causing the fibroids to grow. An alternative health practitioner can do this & then possibly address it with a combination of lifestyle changes (mainly diet to remove hormone-affecting foods) & traditional chinese medicine (herbs & acupuncture) which seems to have some success in managing fibroid symptoms. Depending on your individual hormonal profile this could significantly reduce fibroid issues but is more of a maintenance program than a cure.

There are mainly two modes of fibroids - either having lots of smallish ones or 1-4 bigger ones. The former is generally worse in terms of conventional medical treatment. I have had fibroids for over 10yrs so have gathered a lot of info on it. I personally would not take any artificial hormones (pill, mirena, zoladex/lupron, etc) as I think that just masks the problem & ultimately encourages more fibroid growth. I did try some degree of alternative treatment but mine settled out at two fibroids up to 6cm with symptoms managable by tranexamic acid during periods as already mentioned (this must be taken at the very onset of bleeding & taken regularly or it does not work effectively) & also the herb agnus castus which is a hormone regulator - it seems to lengthen my cycle & reduce days of bleeding.

If fibroids are preventing pregnancies from being successful the best course of action would be for them to be removed, but it is not risk-free - you are swapping one set of problems for hopefully a lower risk set of problems. There are other treatments available like UAE & MRGFUS but these are only suitable for certain cases & not entirely considered as fertility-preserving - each case is different however.

Just reporting back. I finally got that mirena coil I had been due to have ever since giving birth (2 years ago). Its supposed to help give me lighter periods within 6-12 months. I am having my first period since and OMG its amazing. Very light period. I cant quite believe this is it but timing wise this should be my period. I think just not losing so much blood every month will make a huge difference to my overall health.
I didn think it would make a difference this quickly but, its such a relief!!

Wow, thats great news! Really hope it keeps on like that for you!

I must admit I feel utterly squeamish about the coil, but am currently suffering the usual monthly flood, and not quite knowing if its a period or not does sound nice!

Hello, I was diagnosed with Fibroids ranging from 1cm-9cm late last year, and my doctor has prescribed tranexamic acid and mefenamic acid to help with the pain and heavy bleed.He has presuaded me to go for the partial histerectomy, leaving the ovaries, the only other alternative being Harvesting of the fibroids, which he tells me is a messey process which will require a blood transfusion, however, having read some of the comments here I'm starting to have second thoughts. Does anyone have any experiance of this?

do you mean a myomectomy? I think this can be done with a skilled surgeon.

I also hate the way that hysterectomy is offered so readily it should be the treatment of last resort.

I am 50 and have had fibroids (including one enormous one) since my ds2 was born in 2001. Since then I have dithered about treatement but like wicket keeper reluctant to have hysterectomy.

At one point I was anaemic and also very tired with nightmare periods but the periods seem to be manageable and shorter now. Although I restrict activity I can at least function and go to work during AF.

As I understand it its better to try to increase iron as running down iron makes periods heavier. I also don't drink alcohol at period time.

I do hate the bulky appearance though.

Just to update. The mirena I am pretty pleased with. I have had a period of spotting for over a week etc. But very light. Otherwise I feel good, if a little more irritable than usual. I am heavier and wonder if its the hormones, but could be xmas. I look better somehow tho shapewise. Have been doing a bit of running and am firmer.
I thought it would take ages for the mirena to have an effect but its been really swift and altho my periods havent entirely settled into a new pattern yet the bleeding is so light it doesnt bother me.

This is definitely something to try if you have heavy periods due to fibroids.