Many women develop uterine fibroids, which are benign tumors of the uterus which may lead to symptoms such as painful menstruation, sexual intercourse, and other symptoms. While surgery isn’t always recommended, especially when the person is asymptomatic, some women receive surgery when it’s not required. In fact, uterine fibroids are a common reason why women receive hysterectomies. While many women who receive surgery to have these fibroids removed do actually need surgery, some women don’t need to have these fibroids surgically removed, and many hysterectomies which are due to uterine fibroids can be avoided. Thus, the goal of this article is to provide women who have uterine fibroids information that might help them avoid surgery.
Just as is the case with many different female conditions (endometriosis, ovarian cysts, etc.), a hormone imbalance is frequently responsible for uterine fibroids. An imbalance between the hormones estrogen and progesterone can cause the growth of uterine fibroids, and so the goal is to determine whether or not the person is in a state of estrogen dominance, and if so, correct this problem.
Will Correcting A Hormone Imbalance Shrink Uterine Fibroids?
If one corrects an existing hormone imbalance will this shrink the uterine fibroids, and thus allow the person to avoid surgery? Sometimes this will happen, although women with very large uterine fibroids may ultimately need to have surgery performed. So there really isn’t a definitive answer to this, as some women can have their uterine fibroids shrunk by correcting the hormone imbalance, while others can’t, or at least not enough to avoid surgery.
If the uterine fibroids don’t shrink but aren’t too large, correcting the hormone imbalance can at least prevent the fibroids from becoming larger. So if the uterine fibroids aren’t too large then there is a good chance surgery can be avoided by balancing the hormones. On the other hand, if the fibroids are large, then surgery might be necessary to remove them. This still doesn’t prevent some women from wanting to try a natural treatment protocol, as some will want to avoid surgery at all costs, which there of course is nothing wrong with. Being a holistic doctor I of course will try to have a woman with one or more uterine fibroids avoid surgery if at all possible, but sometimes surgery really is the only option.
What Steps Should You Take To See If You Can Avoid Surgery?
If you have uterine fibroids and want to avoid surgery at all costs, then the first thing you will probably want to do is consult with a competent holistic doctor. They will most likely measure the levels of estrogen and progesterone to determine if there is an imbalance with these two hormones. If there is such an imbalance, then they will recommend a natural treatment protocol to help balance out the levels. As I’ve mentioned in the past, it’s best to get a complete picture and not just to look at these two hormones, as looking at some of the other hormones (such as FSH & LH) can tell you why you have an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone in the first place.
If the fibroids are small in size, then there of course is a better chance of you avoiding surgery. The reason for this is because if they aren’t too large then there is a good chance they aren’t causing many complications. And by regulating the hormones this very well might shrink them, and if not, should at least help prevent them from becoming larger.
How Likely Is It To Avoid Surgery With Larger Uterine Fibroids?
Once again, if a woman has larger uterine fibroids then this doesn’t mean the person needs to receive surgery, as it is possible for them to be helped through a natural treatment protocol. However, because the fibroids are larger there is a greater chance that it is causing severe symptoms and thus a person might not be able to wait until a natural treatment protocol takes effect. As I mentioned earlier, some women will want to do everything they can to avoid surgery, and will want to follow a natural treatment protocol regardless of the size of the fibroids. This obviously is only something they can decide to do on their own, but unfortunately, surgery sometimes is the best option.
However, just because a woman has large fibroids doesn’t mean they should receive a hysterectomy, which is what frequently happens. Removing a woman’s entire uterus is an extreme measure, and should be avoided if at all possible. If surgery is needed then one should first try to remove the uterine fibroid itself if at all possible.
In summary, women with small to medium-sized uterine fibroids frequently can avoid surgery by following a natural treatment protocol, which in turn will help balance the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are usually what is responsible for the fibroids in the first place. However, someone with large uterine fibroids might have no choice but to receive the surgery, and will need to be evaluated on an individual basis. Either way, any woman with uterine fibroids who wants to avoid surgery might want to speak with a holistic doctor to look into following a natural treatment protocol. And if you don’t currently have uterine fibroids, then hopefully this information will help you to prevent developing them in the future.
