I see a lot of people coming to my site via google searches related to uterine fibroids. Occasionally the search terms are really sad to see, because they show that people are searching on the details of miserable fibroid pain. Today I saw a particularly sad search go by in my logs, and it made me want to go hug the person who was searching. It also made me wish my site had more to offer than the scattershot entries from when I had a huge fibroid (that I later had surgically removed). Since I can't stalk every fibroid-haver and hug them, here's a very quick run down of what I learned from my fibroid, and what helped my symptoms. Maybe it will help people who are googling, or at least be a jumping off point for further research.

1. Read the chapters on fibroids in Christiane Northrup's amazing book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. These chapters are full of great info about the emotional factors related to fibroids. I found those, and her other chapters about fertility (which you may also be concerned about) to be enormously helpful and reassuring. She has some case studies on women whose fibroids shrank naturally, as well as some thoughts about the energetics of fibroids and how they can be tied to emotional situations in our lives.

2. No one knows what causes fibroids, but doctors have figured out that excess estrogen encourages fibroid growth. Do what you can to eliminate excess estrogen in your body. There are different theories about what causes this so-called "estrogen dominance," but if you start to read up on it, chances are you'll find causes that seem relevant to your lifestyle or diet.

Lowering estrogen levels can be about diet changes, exercise, or it can be about lowering stress levels in your life. Estrogen and anxiety go hand in hand. For me, quitting coffee was very helpful in lowering my estrogen levels. According to this page, women who drink coffee can have up to 70% more estrogen in their system!! not cool.

Christiane Northrup recommends a multivitamin containing all the B vitamins and a few other important minerals for lowering estrogen. Some people say to eat more vegetables and whole grains, give up soy (which mimics estrogen in the system - though the soy debate is very inconclusive), and give up red meat since cows are often pumped full of estrogen and other hormones. They also say to avoid dairy and sugar. There are conflicting recommendations, but as you research you'll discover common overlap and probably be able to determine what diet changes are most relevant to you.

Estrogen levels are also related to liver function, since the liver is what flushes excess estrogen from your system. If your liver is challenged (ie: you drink a lot), that can also be a consideration.

3. For relief of fibroid related pain, consider seeing a chiropractor or trying acupuncture. My fibroid was pressing on my sciatic nerve, referring pain along my thigh and sometimes into my foot, especially when I lay down. The pain was worse when my bladder was full. It was awful. Visits to a chiropractor, plus a good deal of hip-opening asanas in yoga, alleviated this pain almost completely. Massage was also very helpful, too. It seemed like the key was making more space in my guts for the fibroid by adjusting my bones and muscles.

4. Surgery is not as scary as you might think. I was terrified to have surgery to have my fibroid removed, but it turned out to be completely worth it. I had surgery at the UCSF Fibroid Center in San Francisco. I cannot recommend them highly enough! It was a huge relief to have my fibroid remove, and I would do it again in a second.

Here are some potentially gross before & after photos of my uterus, abdomen, and fibroid during and after surgery, for the curious..

That is all for now. I hope this helps someone! I am happy to email about fibroids if you want to talk.