The birth control pill that controls fibroids too

English

For Nathan & Sheila, it was frustrating to not be able to have a child even after seven years of marriage. They thought it was stress as they didn’t know that fibroids cause it too. They decided to make lifestyle changes that would provide them more time for relaxation and bonding.

Nathan’s job as Captain allowed many privileges and travel was among the perks. But then they felt that the vacation abroad would not work.  They felt dejected and perplexed.

Gynecologists/Obstetrician says “At times fibroids lead to pregnancy complications and may even cause a miscarriage or infertility, but it’s not the general norm. In some of the cases, there has been preterm delivery and placental abruption. One also needs to be careful about fetal growth that fibroids could restrict.”

But in Indian society, the woman always pays least, little or no attention to her heeds. So even though she may experience certain symptoms of fibroids such as profuse bleeding and painful periods, she may not seek medical advice but may simply resort to popping a few pain killers now and then.

Other symptoms

• Prevalent pelvic pain
• Sudden, sharp pelvic pain
• Heavy or prolonged periods say for up to a week
• Problem with emptying bladder
• Spotting or bleeding between periods
• Frequent urination
• Constipation
• Backache & leg pain

What are uterine fibroids? Can you prevent them?

Simply put, fibroids are painful, abnormal but noncancerous growths which occur in the smooth muscular part of the uterus, known as the myometrium. The cell mutates into a rubbery type of mass and after repeatedly dividing, the cells may grow at a very fast rate or may grow slowly. You cannot predict their growth spurts. But they may reduce in size or disappear totally, after pregnancy. Fibroids always occur during a woman’s childbearing years and it is estimated that almost 70-80% of women would have experienced fibroids before they reach the age of fifty.

There are many different types of fibroids, normally classified based on their location in the body. The two most common ones are:

• Submucosal fibroids which develop in the middle muscle layer of the uterus, cause havoc while conceiving a baby.
• Subserosal fibroids develop outside the uterus and make the womb appear

The painless ones!

For Anjana Kulkarni, a very popular professor, in a prestigious University, settled in the UAE, it was obesity that led her to a clinic. Luck was on her side and in the course of other investigations, the doctors discovered fibroids. They grew rapidly and began to shrink on their own!

The self-effacing, plumpish and happy-go-lucky 37-year-old professor has this to say. “I have been very fortunate as I did not go through terrible pain, not at all. So nothing interfered with my work and I coasted along as usual.”

To this, her husband, Sushil, added. “But what had us stumped was – we were focusing on Vitamin D deficiency and then we were presented with reports showing these little bulbs happily nestling along her uterine wall.”

So this Indian couple (unlike scores of others), who did not want to have children delved deeper into the issue and decided to include lots of green leafy vegetables in their diet and eliminate the red meat that they were so fond of. Their parties always incorporated cuisine from different parts of the world. But they now exercised control in liberally adding wine and tempering their barbecues with olive oil instead of serving the dishes with fried food particularly their favorite: chips. Cucumber dips and hummus replaced the beer bashes and this greatly helped them to curtail their weight and prevent further weight gain. While this issue too was resolved smoothly, there was one thing which was overlooked.

In the cause of the Kulkarnis, could contraceptive use be the cause of fibroids? This could be a possibility, which was not considered.

Other risk factors

• Heredity: Women whose mothers or sisters have suffered from fibroids are more predisposed to getting fibroids than those who do not have a family history.
• Race: Certain ethnic groups like American African women have a greater tendency to develop fibroids than other ethnic groups and also face other disadvantages such as developing fibroids at a younger age or larger fibroids.
• Diet: Low consumption of fruits and dairy products, alcohol intake – even beer, all these aggravate the chances of developing fibroids.
• Age of menstruation: Early onset is yet another factor that can cause fibroids.
• Hormones: When the uterine lining regenerates during each menstrual cycle, fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels could make the ground fertile for the growth of fibroids.

Whatever may be the cause, fibroids can be treated with medication and surgery by a Gynecologist/Obstetrician. Book your appointment today.