Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during your childbearing years. Also called fibromyomas, leiomyomas or myomas, uterine fibroids aren't associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer.
Causes
No one knows what causes fibroids but researchers and clinical experience point to these factors:
• hormonal (affected by estrogen and progesterone levels)
• genetic (runs in families)
Because no one knows for sure what causes fibroids, we also don't know what causes them to grow or shrink. We do know that they are under hormonal control—by both estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that stimulate development of the uterine lining in preparation for pregnancy, appear to promote the growth of fibroids. Fibroids contain more estrogen and estrogen receptors than do normal uterine muscle cells. They grow rapidly during pregnancy, when hormone levels are high. They shrink when anti-hormone medication is used. They also stop growing or shrink once a woman reaches menopause. (3)
Symptoms
Since each woman has a different size, location, and shape of their fibroids because each of us is unique, symptoms vary. Small fibroids may be entirely asymptomatic and require only over-the-counter medicine. During pregnancy they may be the cause of miscarriage, bleeding, premature labor, or interference with the position of the fetus. (2)
Some symptoms include:
• Heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods
• Feeling "full" in the lower abdomen
• Urinating often
• Pain during sex
• Lower back pain
• Reproductive problems, such as infertility, multiple miscarriages or early labor
Treatment Options
Progesterone Cream
Bioidentical natural progesterone cream is made up of small, fat-soluble molecules that like many transdermal products are well absorbed through the skin. In fact transdermal delivery out performs oral pills by 80-90% in effectiveness. Initially, in progesterone-deficient women, much of the progesterone cream is absorbed by the body and, in time, levels reach saturation and continued progesterone cream doses result in increased blood levels of progesterone and a stronger physiological effect, resulting in less and less troublesome symptoms associated with Uterine Fibroids. Most women notice results right away, while for others it may take up to three months of progesterone cream usage. Since every woman's fibroids are different in shape, size and location, the time that you reach your maximum level of comfort may vary.
For many women, natural bioidentical progesterone provides significant relief, with no reported adverse findings from usage by women for over 20 years. Natural bioidentical progesterone cream provides a safe and efficient way to help your body heal itself, the way nature designed the body to work. Progesterone is the most successful way of shrinking fibroids and proves to be much easier on the body than surgical methods. (1)
Medications
If you have fibroids and have mild symptoms, your doctor may suggest taking medication. Over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be used for mild pain. If you have heavy bleeding during your period, taking an iron supplement can keep you from getting anemia or correct it if you already are anemic. (3)
Surgery
Surgery is sometimes the only treatment option if your uterine fibroids come with moderate or severe symptoms. Your options for surgery include: Myomectomy, Hysterectomy, Endometrail Ablation, Myolysis, Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) or Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE). Please visit Womenshealth.org for more information on each surgery option. (3)
Works Cited:
(1)Copyright 2003 Women Living Naturally - http://www.womenlivingnaturally.com
(2) wikipedia.org source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uterine_fibroids
(3) womenshealth.org
(4) http://medlineplus.gov/
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