Can you live with a fibroid? The answer is simple: of course, you can.
However, this does not mean that it is easy.
Fibroids are incredibly common and are not a life-threatening condition. They can range in size, with some fibroids growing to more than ten centimetres in diameter. Not all women experience symptoms, which is why some often go about their daily lives without even knowing that they have fibroids.
For those that do experience symptoms, these can vary – some experience painful and heavy periods, while others experience fertility issues and pelvic pain.
Nonetheless, how can you live a fulfilling life despite having fibroids?
How to Live with Fibroids
As mentioned, uterine fibroids are not life-threatening and are non-cancerous. As some women experience mild to no symptoms, there is little need for medical intervention. On the one hand, even mild symptoms require some form of management.
When it comes to living with fibroids, here are several ways in which you can manage symptoms and your overall wellbeing:
- Exercise regularly to help reduce stress
- Eat healthy, especially foods that reduce anxiety and stress (omega-3 and vitamin B rich foods)
- Get enough sleep
- Try meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises to combat anxiety
- Use over-the-counter pain relief medication in moderation
- Apply a heat pack on abdomen or lower back to alleviate pain
- Use reusable menstrual products (menstrual cups or period underwear) for heavy periods
Uterine Fibroids Treatment
Some fibroid symptoms can negatively affect your quality of life. This is where you need to draw the line between coping with fibroids versus suffering from fibroids. If your symptoms are interfering with your daily tasks, i.e, causing depression, iron-deficiency anaemia, severe pain and bleeding, then it might be time to consider uterine fibroids treatment.
While fibroid surgery is an option, uterine fibroid embolisation is a non-surgical fibroid treatment that offers many benefits over surgery.
At Lumina Interventional Radiology, we provide uterine fibroid embolisation as a minimally invasive procedure for treating uterine fibroids. While living with fibroids is possible, there are cases of women suffering from painful periods and pressure symptoms due to uterine fibroids. As a result, fibroid embolisation can help alleviate symptoms and relieve pain. Contact the Lumina team today for more information, or to book an appointment with our specialists.
