Fibroids and herbal remedies

THE most frequent tumour that affects the womenfolk is fibroid. It has been found out that about 30 per cent of women thirty years and above, have fibroids. It is a tumour of the female reproductive system affecting mainly the uterus.they are also known as leiomyoma, uterine myoma and fibroma. This tumour is made of smooth muscle cells interspersed with fibrous connective tissues. The tumour is compact and firm and appears as a fibrous mass in the wall of the uterus.

Even though they are referred to as tumours, fibroids are usually non-cancerous (benign) tumours. An individual who has fibroid do not necessarily have an increased risk of developing cancer and may not be associated with cancer. The size of the tumour may range from a peanut size to that of a small grapefruit. The risk of having fibroid increases when the woman approaches menopause, the reason being that such a woman may have been exposed to oestrogen for a long time. High levels of oestrogen and progesterone receptors have been found in uterine fibroid tissues and this has led to the suspecion that high levels of oestrogen and progesterone may be predisposing factors in the development fibroid. Also, women are at the highest risk of developing fibroids as they approach menopause because of the long duration of exposure to high levels of estrogen.

Other causes of uterine fibroids include:

Family history: A woman whose mother or sister had fibroids may develop fibroids herself.

Diet: Animal products, animal fats and other unhealthy fats, processed and preserved meat, fried foods and vegetable oils and others foods that can lead to inflammation in the body and processed carbohydrates. These can give rise to fibroids.

Obese individuals can develop fibroids because of accumulation of fats, hormonal imbalance and hypertension that may be associated.

Race. African American women are more predisposed to develop fibroids than the Caucasian women. The ratio could be as high as 1 to 3. Also, african women tend to have fibroids earlier than women of other races and theirs could be multiple and bigger.

Early menache: Menache is the first time a young girl menatruates. If the age at which she begins to menatruate is too early, say at ten years, she would have become exposed to oestrogen early. Such a girl will remain exposed to oeatrogen and its effects for a long time. She will become a candidate od fibroid.

Use of birth control pills. These pills are more often than not made with oestrogen or compounds that mimic oestrogen. Therefore, the practice of using birth control pills can cause fibroid to grow rapidly as a result of increased levels of oestrogen present in the body.

Hypertension: Researchers have discovered a possible link between hypertension and fibroids. In other words, hypertension is considered to increase the risk of fibroids.

Types of Fibroids: Uterine fibroids are categorized according to their location and by this reason, we have the following types:

The submucosal type of fibroid, which grows in the innermost layer of the uterus

The intramural type grows in the middle layer of the uterus. The subserosal uterine fibroid grow in the outer wall of the uterus

Pedunculated fibroids are connected by a stalk to the outside of the uterus or to the uterine cavity. There is also the cervical type of uterine fibroid found in the cervical tissue.

Fibroids have been rarely found in the broad ligaments of the uterus.

Sign and symptoms of fibroid Fibroids are mainly asymptomatic. A lot of women who had fibroids, had no symptoms. In such individuals the tumour may have been discovered by chance, like in the process of carrying out a routine physical examination.

Common signs and symptoms of fibroids may include: Heavy or prolonged menstrual periods

Abnormal bleeding and spotting between periods, heavy menstrual flow

Pelvic pain as the tumor presses on surrounding pelvic organs.

Diuresis and urgency (urinating frequently) and incompletely emptying the bladder.

Low backache pain and pain down the lower limbs. Dyspareunia (pain during intercourse).

Constipation, swelling of the abdomen and bloating.

A hard swelling often felt by a sex partner (a husband) or by a doctor during physical examination.

Iron deficiency anaemia may arise as a result of the heavy and prolonged menstrual flow. This anaemia may require investigation and treatment.

Having given a background information on the subject of fibroid, we are set to bring you the herbal medicines for the management of Fibroids in next week Thursday’s edition of the Guardian Newspaper.