Shrinking Fibroids Naturally

For several months I noticed a hard mass in my pelvis, and assumed it was constipation. But after a friend told me her sister-in-law had ignored a similar mass for years that turned out to be fatal uterine cancer, I went for an ultrasound test. The diagnosis that I had a large, benign uterine fibroid was a great relief.

I had been doing research at the time for articles on xenoestrogens, or endocrine disrupting chemicals which mimic or block estrogen and are suspected of increasing the incidence of early puberty in American girls (see "Hormonal Imbalance" in The Green Guide #54/55). It seemed worth exploring that, if xenoestrogens can disrupt a young girl's hormone system, then those same chemicals could impact an adult woman. Although medical authorities don't know exactly what causes fibroids, they are linked to higher estrogen levels.

Andrew Weil, M.D., a well-known proponent of natural medicine, suspects that xenoestrogens could be behind an increase in fibroids, breast cancer and endometriosis. Dr. Weil has written that "...the environment may be saturated with pollutants that act as xenoestrogens. A number of industrial by-products and pesticides fall into this category; they are now widespread in soil and water."

Hysterectomies are routinely recommended for women who have fibroids the size of a uterus at a 12-week pregnancy or larger. Mine were the size of a 14-week pregnancy. Both gynecologists I consulted recommended an immediate hysterectomy, the most common non-pregnancy related major surgery performed on American women. Fibroids are the most common reason for hysterectomies, representing about 30% of all cases.

I was neither financially nor emotionally prepared for major surgery. And, according to Dr. Vicki Hufnagel, an OB/GYN and author of No More Hysterectomies (Plume, 1989), of approximately 750,000 hysterectomies performed in the U.S. every year, as many as 90% may be unnecessary. Still, I found it difficult to go against the advice of my physicians even though I didn't feel ill, and had no symptoms aside from heavier-than-normal periods.

Any health crisis can be a powerful motivator to improve lifestyle habits. I improved my diet by eating primarily organic fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I avoided fats, eggs, cheese and other dairy products, started exercising regularly for the first time in my life, and avoided coffee. I lost 20 pounds over six months, and my fibroids got smaller along with the rest of me. I've never felt better in my life.

I also met other women with fibroids who have had success with the natural route. Terry Shistar told me that, "After being offered the choice between hormone therapy (which seemed counterproductive in the long run, and unpleasant in the short run) and a hysterectomy, I chose the same route you did. It took a couple of months before I was asymptomatic."

Hysterectomy Educational Resources and Services (HERS) director Nora Coffey says, "Most fibroids don't require treatment, and don't cause symptoms of any importance at all," she says. "You shouldn't look at this as a disease. It is a natural process." In fact, fibroids usually shrink naturally after meno-pause when estrogen levels decrease.

The National Women's Health Information Center supports a policy of "watchful waiting" rather than hysterectomies for fibroids, fewer than 1% of which turn into cancer. However, it is important not to try self-diagnosis. Medical tests are needed to confirm a fibroid.

HERS provides referrals for second opinions on hysterectomies and statistics on the safety records of physicians, 610/667-7757, http://www.hersfoundation.com

More info is available from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research at http://www.ahcpr.gov/research/uterine.htm.

Further reading: Natural Treatment of Fibroid Tumors and Endometriosis (Susan M. Lark, M.D., Keats, 1996, 800/323-4900).

-- Becky Gillette is a writer in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.