SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Studies show up to 77% of women will develop uterine fibroids sometime during their childbearing years.
An obstetrics and gynecologist (OB-GYN) told the anonymous patient, ‘They won’t go away but they won’t grow fast‘ but ten years later, she had fibroids ‘the size of a grapefruit.’
Marlo Lacen was diagnosed before she found out she was pregnant with her third child. Ten years later, she experienced an abundance of stress and was misdiagnosed by gastroenterologists saying it was gas and indigestion.
“A lot of women don’t know they have them. They are benign tumors – tumor doesn’t always mean cancer – but benign tumors that proliferate or grow from one cell, and they cause a little ball of muscle and fibrous tissue to grow in that uterus,” Willis Knighton OB-GYN Dr. Ricky Paul said.
Lacen sought another opinion at a clinic specializing in women’s health. During the ultrasound, the technician noticed a large growth in her uterus which led her to another meeting with an OB-GYN in Shreveport.
She said, the OB-GYN surgeon immediately listened to her concerns and conducted an examination and then a biopsy and found out they were non-cancerous ‘but they definitely have to go, they’re very large.’
Dr. Paul says “There is a hereditary component and a racial component. We see it more frequently in African-Americans.”
Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids:
- Bleeding abnormalities,
- “Bulk symptoms, if they get really large they can press on things. The bladder, the rectum, the pelvic sidewall and cause those kinds of symptoms,” says Dr. Paul.
- Menstrual periods lasting more than a week
- Pelvic pressure or pain
- Frequent urination
- Difficulty emptying the bladder
- Constipation
- Backache or leg pains
“A lot of them are asymptomatic and they get picked up if you get an ultrasound or a CT Scan for an unrelated reason. We see a lot of them. It’s really common,” says Dr. Paul.
When should you see a doctor?
- Pelvic pain that doesn’t go away
- Overly heavy, prolonged, or painful periods
- Spotting or bleeding between periods
- Difficulty emptying your bladder
- Unexplained low red blood cell count (anemia)
Dr. Paul says, “The asymptomatic fibroids that don’t cause any problems, they’re very small we usually don’t do anything for them. Just know they are there.”
What are the treatments available?
- He says there is no cure for uterine fibroids, however, “Historically there have been birth control pills and sometimes Depo Provera and there are recent studies on Depo Provera -taking that- it may reduce the instance of you developing fibroids.”
- Depo Provera is a contraceptive injection containing progestin administered every three months. According to Standford Healthcare, based on different studies, progestin may shrink fibroids or may make them grow. This might be different for each woman.
- But Dr. Paul says the latest medicines are only good for a limited amount of time, and put the body in a menopause-like state;
- Non-surgical procedures, Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) stops the blood supply to the fibroid;
- Minimally invasive surgery, myomectomy can often be done through one or more small incisions using laparoscopy or through the vagina (hysteroscopy).
- Depending on the size and severity of the fibroids, a hysterectomy can be done for women with no future plans of getting pregnant.
“It’s all about having a conversation with your doctor about the options of therapy and; what you desire as far as future fertility; as far as surgical expectations. It’s a very manageable disease process.”
Lacen says that pre-diagnosis, she changed her diet, stopped using hair relaxers, and worked out however “nothing that I did would get me where I wanted to be” and now she feels great.
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