Fibroids in Menopause
Jun 05, 2022
Also known by the fancy term ‘Uterine Leiomyomas’ or myomas. These are non-nasty (Benign) tumours that grow inside the uterus, inside the muscle of the uterus, or on the outside. They can often have no symptoms but just as easily cause uncomfortable symptoms too. It all depends on their location.
Signs & Symptoms
The location of the growth determines the symptoms you may suffer. Clinically there are one to four main way women can present;
- Abnormal pelvic bleeding — this means that your bleeding has become heavier, has an altered frequency or the colour has changed
- Chronic pelvic pain — This is the most common reason, particularly pain with menstruation however non-menstrual pain and pain during sex can also indicate possible growth
- Subfertility — This is most common with submucous leiomyomas. They are the rarest form, however the most likely to produce symptoms as they project into the endometrial cavity.
- Pressure effects — presenting mainly as bladder or bowel urgency/difficulty going or painful intercourse
Do I Have One & What Do I Do About It?
These lumps and bumps are diagnosed via an internal vaginal ultrasound. From a medical stand point, your decision about what to do about it is whether you want to preserve immediate or future fertility. This is because the medical management is excision of the lump, or depending on the number and size, a hysterectomy may be suggested.
From a functional approach, the size and growth of endometrial tissue in your body is controlled by oestrogen. Based on this, incorporating different lifestyle changes and functional supplementation to balance your hormones may help. You can do this by decreasing your emotional stress, decreasing inflammatory foods particularly wheat and dairy, incorporating phyto-oestrogens into your diet (check out this recipe) and possibly integrating a bio-identical progesterone cream (depending on where you live in the world, some of these creams can be purchased online, other countries require a GP referral). We would recommend speaking to a practitioner before introducing any external hormones.
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