Fibroids - please help

[TroublesomeWomb]

I am in peri, have fibroids and they are a problem. I've tried Mirena (made me mental), tranexamic acid (no help whatsoever) and am now on hrt which helps with other peri symptoms. It took ages to get the right dose but I thought I'd got things under control - no awful flooding since Xmas. I have an open referral to gynae though because the flooding was really bad until then so my GP referred me but by the time I got seen things had calmed down. Until tonight. Sweet jesus god it's awful. Crazy cramps and blood. So I'm going to go back to gynae.

Thing is I don't really want hysterectomy because of the recovery. I have previously had open abdominal surgery for torsioned ovarian cyst and the recovery for that was long and gruelling. I know hysterectomy won't be so bad but it's still pretty major. I am 52.5 so still 18 months away from being able to take continuous hrt (according to the consultant I saw at the gynae appointment) and I can't face another 18 months of this.

Has anyone had embolization or myemectomy? Was it successful and would you recommend? Both seem to have a shorter recovery time than hysterectomy. Even if the effects aren't as permanent I only need them to last for 18 months. Or should I just go for the hysterectomy?

I think there are guidelines that say you can change to continuous if you've been on hrt for 6 months to a year. I'm not sure where, but the NHS website might have it, or the British Menopause Society, or the Louise Newson balance site. I'm not sure where the consultant is getting the idea that you can't. Also I have seen that some women are on higher doses of progesterone if necessary, which it might be in your case.

I had a myomectomy about a decade ago (I was mid-thirties) and it was a super easy recovery (I felt fine within about a day but refrained from heavy lifting for a couple of weeks). It was successful but, as expected, they came back and just had a hysterectomy last month. It was also actually a super easy recovery (I had it laparoscopically though it ended up being almost a six-hour surgery and a bit more complicated than expected due to the size of my uterus and adhesions from the myomectomy). I felt pretty much fine within a couple of days (other than a couple of the incisions took a bit longer to fully close).

I considered a second myomectomy but the risks (due to adhesions etc. from the first one) were too high.

I did have an ovary sparing hysterectomy (though they ended up having to remove one of them because it was too emmeshed into my uterus).

I'd see about a myomectomy, but, really, my hysterectomy recovery was only slightly worse/longer than my myomectomy recovery.

How soon were you able to do gym and other physical activities?

I do think maybe hysterectomy would be better as at least it is complete. Plus as well as the fibroids I also apparently have a "bulky" uterus (lovely!! - that was the actual word used on the letter after my scan) - does that go away once you are past menopause, does anyone know?

Also, just as a side note, I do feel mightily ripped off that I'm still getting periods at all at age 52, never mind such furious ones, especially with only the one ovary. It must be going fucking berserk all by itself down there.

So, I was told not to lift anything more than 5 pounds for six weeks, so I avoided the gym (well, CrossFit) for that long. But honestly, I was flying and traveling before that and certainly my backpack and carry-on was more than that. I was back to (slow) running within about two weeks (and felt like I could start earlier but was trying to follow instructions).

My uterus was also bulky and just big (normally, they'd put the camera through your belly button, but my uterus was so big that they had to put an incision above that for the camera because the uterus was in the way).

I wasn't in menopause (or peri) when I had my surgery, so I don't know what changes may have happened with menopause.

I had a laparascopic embolization. The change was day and night and made me realise how much periods had taken over my life. There was practically no recovery time needed.

Thanks, that sounds hopeful. It absolutely does rule your life when it's this bad. For example I've cancelled all my gym this week now - was a little better this afternoon so thought I'd catch a yoga class. FFS five minutes in and I bled through everything and onto my mat, it was fucking horrible. Went and bought yet more night time towels on the way home and also a steak because I felt so down and anyway I probably need the iron, clothes in the wash - none of this would have happened if I just had a normal period or indeed no period at all. Gynae clinic are going to try to fit me in soon, fingers crossed.

I had a full hysterectomy. After 3 days I was pottering at home washing up, cooking etc. By 7 days I was walking a little, by 2 weeks up to 2 miles .
Only on paracetamol for a day of two after I got home,
Honestly much easier than caesareans I'd had previously,
So nice not to be buying towels all the time and no more leaking / clots/ pain.

HRT (oestrogen) tends to cause an increase in the size of existing fibroids and the symptoms from them.
I had very noticeable increase in the size of fibroids when on HRT, it cause chronic sciatica and constipation. Fortunately because I had a Mirena coil bleeding was not an issue.
I was referred for possible treatment/hysterectomy but while waiting was diagnosed with hormone sensitive breast cancer. I had to come off HRT and now take Anastrazole which as well as preventing breast cancer recurrence it also shrinks fibroids.
After 2.5yrs my sciatica is pretty much resolved and the fibroids, although still palpable, are no where near as big.

The HRT gurus don’t mention that fibroids can seriously bulk up with oestrogen use. I certainly had no idea, I spent nearly 12 mnths crippled with back pain, I had lost weight in an attempt to alleviate the symptoms but it just got worse.
After seeing the gyni re the fibroids she reassured me that stopping the HRT and taking anastrozole would hopefully stop any further growth and allow shrinkage so I would not need surgery in the future.

Fibroids don't necessarily shrink after menopause. I had a late menopause (around 56/57) and am now in my early 70s, I still have a bulky uterus (at its largest it was the size of a 16/18 week pregnancy), though the uterus has started to decrease in size and the fibroids have begun to degenerate.

I had similar flooding etc due to fibroids. Completely ruled my life and ability to leave the house, for years. I had a uterine ablation - it solved it completely. Had to stay overnight on morphine due to complications, but home the next day and never looked back. Off work about a week. Changed my life.

I had a laparoscopic myomectomy for a large (approx 14 cm) fibroid last year aged 32.

Although I’m now pleased to say feel well and so happy to no longer be impacted by the pain, pressure and horrible periods the fibroid caused, I did have a rough recovery.

It was a complex surgery, took around 6 hours and was complicated by large blood loss. I needed a blood transfusion and iron infusion and still remember all the worried doctors surrounding my bed in the middle of the night when I became symptomatic for shock.

I was in hospital for 6 days, off work for 6 weeks and then was on a phased return.

I now feel the best I have in years, and am glad to be free of fibroids but it was a rough time and I certainly didn’t expect surgery/ recovery to be as difficult as it was.

Wishing you all the best x