Flow No More: Our Top 4 Tips For Fibroids

As women, we spend a lot of time learning about what it’s like when your period starts, but we rarely spend time discussing what it’s like when it ends.

When your period starts, it’s like flipping on a light switch. One day, it’s off, then the next day, it’s there. When it ends, it is not like the “on” switch just turns “off”. It’s more like a dimmer switch on your ovaries. For one or two months, it may be set on low but then it might turn on high again for the next few months. Over time, they gradually shut off completely but it may take years for that to occur and all the while you are dealing with the symptoms of menopause.

In particular, women may have an increase in bleeding. Sounds crazy, right? I mean, you’re supposed to be transitioning to a time of no periods so why do we need to bleed excessively beforehand? 

With the fluctuations in hormones, women are more likely to develop fibroids during the transition to menopause, which can contribute to the heavier bleeding. However, fibroids can occur at anytime during a woman’s menstruating years and lead to numerous issues. 

Fibroids, known as uterine leiomyomas, are benign tumors, that are classified depending on where in the uterus they are growing. Fibroids affect at least 40% of women at one point in their life and affect black women more often than white or Asian women. 

Fibroids tend to be asymptomatic so you may currently have one and not even know it. However, they can cause some serious issues such as heavy and abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain or pressure, and bloating. Depending on where they are in the uterus they can lead to issues like infertility, chronic anemia, issues with the urinary system (increased urination), digestive system (such as constipation), or cardiovascular system (swelling of the legs).

In addition, you may not have just one fibroid. Women can develop multiple fibroids, in different parts of the uterus, and various sizes. Some may be as small as less than an inch or may be over 8 inches across. The average size of your uterus is about 3-4 inches so the fibroid may be taking up much more space than your reproductive organs themselves. 

Conventionally, surgery may be recommended to remove the fibroids or they may prescribe birth control pills to help with any hormone imbalance. They may even recommend a hysterectomy, just completely removing the uterus. Another, less well known, procedure is embolization where doctors block the blood vessels feeding the fibroid, stopping them from growing.

While not every woman with fibroids gets a hysterectomy, it is estimated that hysterectomies are overused anywhere from 16%-70%. According to Dr. Robert Vogelzang, “Women who undergo hysterectomies face a number of problems, from early menopause to pelvic floor disorders [which affect a person’s ability to control the muscles in their pelvic floor to have a bowel movement] and sexual dysfunction.”  

And even if you keep your ovaries, having a hysterectomy still increases your risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disease. In addition, I have seen time and time again that surgical removal of the fibroids works for a few years but because the underlying root cause of the fibroids is not addressed, they come back with a vengeance.

From a natural standpoint, there are a few common reasons why fibroids can develop but they mainly all come back to estrogen. While we don’t know exactly why they develop, fibroids have more receptors for estrogen (and progesterone) so they will grow during times of excess estrogen. One benefit of going through menopause is that it typically resolves any symptoms of the fibroids.

Common root causes for excess estrogen are inability to clear estrogen through the liver, exposure to exogenous estrogens, or estrogen dominance (low progesterone). Let’s break these down a little bit further.

Your liver is responsible for processing any food, drink, or drugs that you ingest. In addition to the hundreds of other functions it has, it also helps remove hormones from the blood for excretion. If your liver is not functioning at 100% because it’s been loaded down with crappy food, lots of caffeine and alcohol, medications, or ubiquitous toxins in the environment, it will likely not clear estrogens in a timely manner, leaving you with excess estrogens.

And speaking of toxins, that’s where the term “exogenous estrogens” comes into play. Chemicals found in our environment like pesticides or plastics, can act as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors impact our endocrine system (think hormones) causing a variety of issues including stimulating receptors for hormones like estrogen. So even though you may not be making excess estrogen, those chemicals you are exposed to are causing the same effects of having too much estrogen.

So what to do? If surgery or hormone replacement is not the direction you want to take, there are some other options that can help not only prevent them from continuing to grow but potentially reduce the size of the fibroids.

#1 Eat your estrogens

Phytoestrogens, that is. Contrary to popular belief, plant sources of estrogens can actually help to balance estrogen levels in the body. Plants sources of estrogens include: kidney beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, broccoli, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, curly kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, and tofu. One caveat though, if you’re going to incorporate more kale, tofu, and strawberries, be sure to buy organic. Strawberries and kale are the first and third most pesticide ridden produce in the United States. And most soy products are GMO as well as full of pesticides, so organic tofu is also recommended. No need to add more endocrine disruptors to the mix.

#2 Castor oil packs

In order to show more support to your liver, doing castor oil packs can be extremely helpful. Castor oil used topically is anti-inflammatory and enough can be absorbed through your skin to support your liver. Most people already have all they need at home to do castor oil packs and only need to purchase the castor oil itself.

#3 Slow the flow

One of the most common issues with fibroids is heavy menstrual bleeding. And I’m talking heavy. Like going through a super tampon in an hour or two kind of heavy. Menstrual cramps are commonly associated with the heavy bleeding as well as increased risk for iron-deficiency anemia, which has it’s own list of side effects. One herb that is great to help reduce the amount of bleeding is called Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). It can be used acutely during menses to help drastically reduce the amount of blood. It is potent so if using a tincture, drop dosing is recommended. 

#4 Support progesterone

Since we know that fibroids respond to excess estrogen, increasing progesterone can help to mitigate estrogen’s effects. In particular, herbs like Vitex agnus-castus can help to balance signals from the brain, promoting the ovaries formation of progesterone. Because of that, Vitex is a commonly used herb for fibroids and may even help with the associated cramping and size of the fibroids. 

Yes, fibroids can be quite disruptive but it is important for women to make informed choices regarding their health. Menopause is a natural transition in a woman’s life. Perhaps, as a society, we need to view this as a time to be celebrated, supported, and nourished, instead of medicated or spoken about in hushed tones.  After all, you are the only one that knows best regarding your circumstances, your body, and your life.