Warning – this blog contains some graphic details in case you’re squeamish about women’s health issues.
These days, we talk more openly about women’s health in the media, the workplace, with family, and with friends.
From issues such as periods, fertility, and menopause, this sharing of information is helping to fight the taboo on these topics.
I read an interesting blog from The Life of a Glasgow Girl about 15 thoughts women have on their periods. The blog was painfully accurate. But if you thought that’s the extent of how bad periods get, then read on.
Bodies built around having babies
As women, our bodies are designed to give birth, making them both astonishing and complex.
From puberty, our bodies prepare for potential childbirth as we start our periods. When we stop having our periods, it’s generally to either support a pregnancy or for menopause.
But somewhere along the way, usually, between the ages 30 to 50, an anomaly called fibroids can develop. It’s not entirely clear why. Maybe it’s our bodies telling us, hey, you haven’t produced enough babies, so we’ll grow other things in your uterus instead.
I spoke to a friend struggling with fibroids to shed more light on the issue.
What are fibroids?
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that can develop inside or outside our uterus. They are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue and vary in size. They can be anything from 1cm to 20cm in diameter (i.e. the size of a small orange). The NHS says 2 in 3 women can develop at least one fibroid at some point in their life.
What were your fibroids symptoms?
My symptoms were constantly feeling and looking bloated. I thought I had put on weight, so I went more regularly to the gym. Even though I worked out five times a week, it wasn’t making a difference. My periods also got heavier and more painful. Eventually, I went to the doctor. They took scans, and I was told I had fibroids.
Are there other symptoms to look out for?
Symptoms vary, but it’s usually having heavy and more painful periods. Periods can also be longer, seven days or more. You may feel like you want to go to the toilet more, especially if your fibroids are pressing on your bladder. Depending on how big the fibroids are, you can even look slightly pregnant.
How are fibroids treated?
You can start by taking medicine to shrink them and reduce the heavy bleeding and pain during your periods. If the fibroids get too big or painful, you may need surgery to remove them. Some women opt to remove their uterus (a full hysterectomy); otherwise fibroids can come back, and you need treatment again. But doctors usually only advise this for women over 40 and those sure they no longer want to have children.
How do fibroids affect your everyday life?
It can be debilitating. Firstly, because of the sheer amount of blood you’re losing. I can go to the bathroom every 20 minutes to deal with the volume of blood. It makes you not want to leave the house. The heavy blood loss also means your iron levels can dip low in those weeks, and you need to be careful about anaemia. This is a condition where you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry enough oxygen around your body. It leaves you feeling weak.
The pain is intense too. Most women expect some pain during their period, but this is another level. Instead of getting a Will Smith Oscar slap in your uterus, you’re getting what feels like a punch from a boxing heavyweight like Tyson Fury. I always need strong painkillers. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to cope.
You can become a recluse on those days you’re on your period. Luckily, working from home makes it easier to not go into the office and have to explain it to anyone.
What’s been the worst experience you’ve had with fibroids?
I remember being in a meeting and suddenly feeling a rush of blood coming down. The blood can be in heavy clumps, so you automatically feel the weight on your sanitary pad. I knew I couldn’t get up in case I’d bled through my skirt. I had to sit there until the meeting finished, and everyone had left. I then cried my way to the bathroom to clean myself up.
I can easily go through twenty tampons and sanitary pads in one day. It gets expensive. One good thing is since January 2021, the UK government finally scrapped VAT on all sanitary products. Period poverty is a real thing, and I feel for the many vulnerable women and girls who struggle to afford sanitary care during their periods.
Why do we still not know the cause of fibroids, given how many women it affects?
Who knows? We know fibroids tend to appear in women of a particular age (between 30 and 50) and are more common in African and Caribbean women.
Fibroids have been linked to high levels of oestrogen. Some diet and lifestyle changes can be looked at, which may contribute to high levels of oestrogen. Things like reducing animal intake, such as meat and dairy, which can increase hormones in your body, may be helpful.
Also, exercising more regularly, keeping your stress levels down etc. But you can do all that, and not much changes. I went vegan, and I exercise regularly. Yet I’ve had three surgeries to remove the fibroids, as they keep growing back.
What’s next for you?
I take medication each month, which helps. I’m also due to see another specialist in a few months. I want to try more natural therapies as I can’t keep going down the surgery route. It takes its toll on you physically and psychologically. Otherwise, I could count down the clock until menopause kicks in, as fibroids are known to shrink or disappear during menopause.
It’s as if once our uterus is no longer useful to produce babies, that’s when the fibroids decide to give up. It’s crazy how, as women, our bodies are completely designed around giving birth.
But I’m still a long way away from menopause. Plus, menopause brings its own avalanche of issues to deal with.
For now, I’m taking it day by day. We go through a lot as women, so continuing to have these conversations and having compassion for each other helps.
And we should involve men in these conversations. They have mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, colleagues and friends who may need their support.