Uterine Fibroid Tumors

What makes fibroids grow, and how can you stop fibroids from growing?

It’s been well documented in the scientific community that estrogen makes fibroids grow.  I just cracked open some academic journals and looked up a few findings:

• Gynaecologists at the University of Athens, Athens, Greece reported that estrogens increased fibroid growth.
• Doctors at the West China Hospital also reported that estrogens increased fibroid growth.
• Gynaecologists at the University of Siena Policlinico identified uterine fibroids as a hormone-dependent gynaecological disorder.
• Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan also reported that high concentration of estrogen could promote fibroid growth.

Women who have other estrogen-related disorders such as endometriosis or endometrial hyperplasia tend to suffer more from fibroids than women who don’t have these conditions.

I’ve created a few articles that explain which substances cause fibroids.  These include:

• Estrogen and Fibroids
• Xenoestrogens And Fibroids
• (More to follow)

Xenoestrogens are environmental estrogens, artificially created as a by-product to the chemical industry.  In the past 10 years, there have been a lot of studies that have linked xenoestrogens to conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, lowered sperm counts and cancer. 

They are found in pesticides, PCBs, plastics, the lacquer that lines the inside of cans used for storing food, and many common foods and household products.

Xenoestrogens are recognised by estrogen receptors, but have a stronger effect on the cells than other types of estrogen.  Some of the most deadly xenoestrogens are PCBs.

PCBs were used in industry decades ago, but were banned in the 1970’s.   Although these substances are no longer in use, they have accumulated in water, soil and in the fat of animals and humans.  Scientists have even found the substances secreted in human breast milk!

Because they’re a mix of synthetic chemicals, they’re not very biodegradable, this means it’s difficult for the environment, and human body to break them down. 

It can take hundreds of years for these substances to be broken down in the environment, and in our bodies as they are unnatural substances that nature does not have processes or tools to deal with. 

Estrogen is a hormone.  It is produced by the ovaries, and it’s the hormone responsible for the development of the female reproductive system during puberty.  It also stimulates the growth of the muscles of the uterus, and the thickening of the endometrial lining.

Hormones are essentially chemical messengers that travel from one organ to another, via the blood stream and instruct organs to perform specific actions at a cellular level.

Hormones affect the organs that have receptor sides.  Receptor sites are a group of cells that respond only to a specific hormone.  The cell will have receptors attached to it – receptors are microscopic structures that take a specific shape or configuration that match only the chemical composition of the hormone.  It works in a similar way to a key and a lock, if you imagine that hormones are keys, and receptors are locks.

When the hormone connects with the receptor, this gives the cells and the tissues that the cells make up, specific instructions, e.g. estrogen can tell the endometrial lining to thicken, and unfortunately, it can also tell fibroids to grow.

The more estrogen you have in your body, the more estrogen receptors you develop.  And the more estrogen receptors you develop, the more your body makes use of estrogen.

There are actually several types of estrogen:

• The estrogen your ovaries produce naturally

• Phytoestrogens – which are estrogens that occur naturally in plants, and are used by herbalists to help women who are going through menopause, and to help to block the effects of more powerful estrogens in women with estrogen-dependent disorders.

• Mycoestrogens – estrogens that are produced by fungi.  They mostly affect livestock and poultry, but you can find them growing on mouldy crops, such as rice, oats and wheat.

• Xenoestrogens – man-made chemicals that mimick the effect of estrogen in your body

The symptoms of fibroids largely depend on the type of fibroids you have. This video explains the different types of fibroids, including the symptoms of each type of fibroid.

If you can’t view the video, or prefer to read, I have summarized the information on an article on the types of fibroids .

Believe it or not, there are many different types of uterine fibroid.  I’ve already created articles on the main types of fibroid, but I’ll summarize them here:

• Subserosal fibroids – these grow on the outside wall of the uterus and can compress nerves and other organs

• Intramural fibroids – these are fibroids which grow inside the uterine wall, and are responsible for making the uterus appear and feel large

• Submucosal fibroids – these grow below the uterine lining and cause heavy bleeding, cramps and spasms

• Pedunculated fibroids – these are fibroids that grow from a stalk, and can be very painful if the stalk is twisted

• Intracavitary fibroids – these fibroids grow inside the uterine cavity, cause heavy bleeding, cramping and affect the fertility
• Calcified fibroids – these are fibroids that have developed calcium deposits, and become hard like bone (or teeth)

• Cervical fibroids – these fibroids grow on or near the cervix and can cause painful intercourse

While there are only these few types of uterine fibroids, it is important to note that a women diagnosed with fibroids usually have more than one fibroid, and more than one type of fibroid.

Pedunculated fibroids can grow inside or outside the uterus, but they are distinguished by growing from a stalk, called the peduncle.

It can develop and grow either in the uterus itself or on the outside of the uterus. Although rare, pedunculated fibroid tumors can cause extreme pain when the stalk becomes twisted.

The symptoms of perdunculated fibroids can range from very mild, to extreme, for example:

• Cramping from the uterine muscles, as the uterus attempts to get rid of the fibroid

• Diggestive problems, including nausea and vomiting – especially if the fibroid is disturbing a nearby organ such as the small intestine

• Extreme pain if the fibroid stalk twists

Submucosal fibroids are those tumors that are located just below the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus.  (The mucosa refers to the lining of the uterus. Sub means below.)  While they are the most infrequent type of fibroid, they often cause prolonged menstrual periods and excessive heavy bleeding, a condition called menorrhagia.

Submucosal fibroids are more likely to cause the woman a lot of pain.

Typical symptoms of submucosal fibroids include:

• Uterine cramps and spasms – sometimes these can be very strong and almost as powerful as childbirth.  This is because the uterus is trying to expel the fibroid.

• Heavy periods, as the large fibroid mass increases the endometrial surface, resulting in more menstrual blood

• Lengthy periods, as a result of more blood being shed

Intra means inside, so intramural fibroids are those that are found inside the uterine wall. These are the most common type of fibroid tumor.

Since they develop and grow inside the uterine wall, the result is that they make the uterus feel as if it is larger.

Their growth can cause pressure both on the bladder as well as the uterus. Other symptoms include:

• Pelvic and back pain
• Excessive bleeding
• Frequent urination
• They may also be responsible for miscarriages and infertility issues.

Because intramural fibroids are those that develop within the uterine wall, depending on wherether they are close to the endometrium or close to the outside of the uterus, the symptoms will be similar to submucosal or subserous fibroids.

Subserosal Fibroids are located in the serosa (outermost layer) and outside the wall of the uterus, also called the womb. They typically grow in an outward direction.

Subserosal fibroids can cause tissue compression on areas that are surrounding it, such as the bladder and/or bowel. They are not generally the cause of excessive bleeding, as they do not affect a woman’s menstrual flow.

They are also called subserous fibroids .

The symptoms of subserosal fibroids include:

• Enlarged uterus – to the extent that you look pregnant when you are not

• Increased desire to urinate – or stress incontinence as the fibroid puts pressure on the bladder

• Severe menstrual symptoms, such as excessive bloating during menstruation

• Digestive complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome or constipation, also due to the pressure a large fibroid can put on the intestines

• Back pains, and shooting pains down the leg, as some large fibroids can put pressure on the nerves that serve the back and legs

Remember, you can have more than one type of fibroid, and I’m just sharing with you information about one type.