Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that are made up of smooth muscle and fiberous connections. These types of tumors generally do not cause cancer or are not considered pre-cancerous. However, because they are dependent upon the hormone estrogen, any fibroid tumor found to be growing quickly or after menopause can signal a pre-cancerous state.
Uterine fibroids can be microscopic in size and cause absolutely no symptoms or become the size of a small basketball. As they grow larger, the symptoms will disrupt the life of a woman and cause feelings of heaviness in the pubic region, urinary frequency, constipation, pain with sexual intercourse and heavy menstrual bleeding that often leads to anemia.
Physicians have several pharmaceutical options that are short-term alternatives to shrink fibroids before a more permanent surgical solution. These permanent solutions are usually endometrial ablation, uterine artery or uterine fibroids embolization, laser treatment and hysterectomy. However, most of these options do not retain the fertility for the woman or they result in a permanent loss of the uterus.
Some women are more interested in beginning with natural remedies to treat their fibroids which may help to decrease the size of the tumors and reduce the symptoms. Most often these symptoms will resolve completely as a woman enters menopause and her natural blood levels of estrogen drop. During this period in time the size of the fibroids also decreases significantly. Most natural remedies for fibroids may decrease the symptoms but they do not usually get rid of the tumors.
The least invasive type of treatment is called watchful waiting. When the tumor is causing no symptoms and does not grow quickly, physicians usually advise the patient to have a physical examination every six to 12 months to measure the growth of the tumors. Physicians also look at the physical examination and medical history during these intervals in order to determine whether treatment protocols should be advanced. If a woman experiences abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding and resulting anemia, several dietary and supplemental changes can be recommended to increase the levels of iron and help the body maintain blood levels.
Dietary supplements of iron include spinach, beans, peas, dried fruits, nuts, organic meats and fish. Unfortunately the iron in meat can be poorly absorbed and also cause growth of the fibroids because growth hormones fed to the animals before slaughter will be ingested by the end user. These growth hormones are very similar in molecular structure to estrogen, which stimulates the growth of fibroids. For this reason it is better to increase the dietary supplementation of whole fruits and vegetables to increase iron, than it is to increase the amount of meat eaten.
Vitamin C can also help to increase the absorption of iron which will help to decrease the problem with anemia. Regular vitamin C does not appear to have a significant effect on iron stored. Interestingly, nutritionists have found that one orange or 6 ounces of orange juice can double the amount of iron the body absorbs from plant sources.
Another dietary supplement that helps the body to produce more hemoglobin and reduce the incidence of anemia, is B12 and folate. B12 and folate are both added to dried commercial cereals and bread products and can also be found in the avocados, bananas, orange juice and green leafy vegetables.
Prevention is the best medicine. By avoiding meat that has been injected with growth hormone, most plastic storage containers and pesticides which contain xenoestrogens, women can reduce the rate of growth of the fibroid tumors. Many women who have eliminated or significantly reduced the amount of meat in their diet have found relief from their symptoms as the extra estrogen no longer stimulates the growth of the tumors.
Other women have found relief from pelvic pain and heaviness using acupuncture and yoga. Others also find relief using black cohosh which has some significant research behind it showing improvements with hot flashes. Although these remedies offer relief in the feelings of pelvic heaviness they do little to stem the heavy monthly menstrual flow and do not cure the fibroids.
Resources:
Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin C
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/
Linus Pauling Institute: B12
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/
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