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Loading...Trouble “Down Below”
- Rodale
- September 19, 2011
- 5:01 pm
- 127 comments
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124 Million May Have Uterine Fibroids
Fibroids’ main symptom, bigtime bloat, can make you look knocked up when you’re not. And like endometriosis and PCOS, they can cause extra-heavy bleeding and gutwrenching cramps during your period, as well as constant pressure on your bladder or rectum. That said, some sufferers show zero symptoms.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes these balls of muscle (which can range from the size of a grape to a honeydew melon) to grow in the uterus, but new research suggests that exposure to phthalates (chemicals found in plastics and personal-care products) may play a part. Because fibroids feed on estrogen, they can become a nuisance during pregnancy, when female hormone levels run high, says Lissa Rankin, M.D., an ob-gyn in Mill Valley, California. They also share living space with the fetus, increasing the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth.
While fibroids are relatively simple to diagnose—usually with an ultrasound or MRI— deciding on a treatment isn’t so easy. Birth-control pills and hormone-disrupting meds can shrink the masses, but the ultimate fix is a hysterectomy— a drastic step for young women. However, there are newer, less severe treatments that can help eliminate fibroids: myolysis (laser removal), myomectomy (surgical removal), and uterine artery embolization (the injection of foam into arteries to cut off fibroids’ blood supply). Also showing early promise are two noninvasive experimental treatments: radiofrequency ablation, which uses heat energy to destroy any unwarranted growths, and MRI-guided ultrasound surgery, which blasts fibroids into smithereens.
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Read more: Cancer, General Health, Gynecology, Health, Love, Obstetrics, Relationships, Sex, Women's Health, cancer, endometriosis, gynecological problems, gynecology, health, infertility, menstrual pain, ovarian cysts, reproductive health, uterine fibroids, vagina, women's health
Rodale
Rodale.com is a new original source for daily news, information, and advice on personal and environmental health. Rodale.com focuses on “Where Health Meets Green” topics, providing daily news stories and breaking news along with easy-to-follow, high-impact tips and advice.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
people are talking
Yum! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your insight. It is always good to know the personal opinion of a professional. I wo…
Thank you.
thanks
great idea, I added dry flowers to baking soda to sprinkle on my carpet before vacuuming, my boyfrie…
127 comments
+ add your ownA lot of good but troubling information here!
TY
It is hard to belive in this day and age that medicine is so far behind in some areas but so far forward in others.
I have found Western medicine particularly unhelpful. Slow to diagnose. No useful treatments. Studies done on men...
Time for a yearly check up!
O_o Thanks for posting, good info.
THANKS-
I don't like the term "knocked-up". Other than that, thanks for the article. I had a total hysterectomy at 42. I had endo so bad. The pain was horrible. Went to natural suppliments now.
I am certainly grateful for this imformation, as I am not at all schooled about these matters! I am posting this one for sure!
why me
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