Uterine Fibroids

 

Uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas, are very common.  Perhaps 50% of the female population now have fibroids.  Much of the time, they often remain undetected  because symptoms are relatively non-specific.   Fibroids are almost always discovered during ultrasound examinations and occasionally during surgery.

 

The problem with fibroids are three-fold: 

 

  • They bleed. 

 

  • They can cause problems with pregnancies – either through infertility or through difficultly in carrying a baby to full term.

 

  • They can hurt, resulting in painful periods.

 

 

Fibroids that frequently bleed ultimately result in a hysterectomy.  In the United States alone, more than 650,000 women undergo hysterectomies EVERY year - at a cost of more than $3 billion annually.  One source states that fibroids account for 175,000 of those hysterectomies, but the actual number is much higher, probably closer to 50% or more.

 

Prior to the advent of birth control pills (BCP’s) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), fibroids were far less prevalent, and the incidence of hysterectomies was far smaller, even accounting for population growth. 

 

It’s since been discovered that estrogen, and their synthetic, chemically altered mimics stimulate and promote fibroid growth, regardless whether they’re taken in the form of BCP’s or hormone replacement therapy. On the other hand, progesterone inhibits fibroid growth.

 

The question therefore remains: How much progestin component is necessary to balance out the estrogen stimulation?  The scientific community hasn’t formally answered this, but statistical trend analysis indicates that beginning in the1960’s, the explosion of hysterectomies is directly proportional to the usage of oral contraceptives and HRT.

 

Many in the medical establishment still believe that BCP’s are actually beneficial in the treatment of uterine fibroids.  However, as far back as September 1998, the journal, Fertility and Sterility noted the risk of getting uterine fibroids was significantly elevated in women who first started taking BCP’s as teenagers, from ages 13 -16.

 

Clearly, the estrogens contained in BCP’s and HRT are promoting the explosion of uterine fibroids - causing millions of hysterectomies over the last 50 years.