Does peri/menopause make fibroids better?

Posted , 6 users are following.

Hi. Does anyone here have fibroids? And if yes, how does peri/menopause affect it? I have fibroids and I am perimenopausal. The fibroids causes heavy period so I also have low iron, which I have to keep taking iron tablets to keep in hand.

Any experiences and suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,

Denise.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi godblessed,

    Just found out that I have one and my doctor told me with decreased estrogen it should shrink.

  • Posted

    Hi there,

    I have fibroids, and like you I have heavy periods (although the last one, for the first time in my life, was fairly light - in my terms!!). I am 51. A few years ago the periods became really really heavy. I think it was a combination of estrogen dominance and the fibroids. I was on the Pill anyway, which kept the periods regular at least, and I started to use progesterone cream, which helped with my mood, but not with the heavy bleeding. But the bleeding was too much to manage, so I took tranexamic acid for a few years. It reduced the blood flow, and I stopped being anemic. It really affected my mood, unfortunately. But I have a very strong type of depression anyway. The doctor was pretty surprised it affected my mood, so I think it is not common.

    In the UK, you can use the Miranda coil I think it's called. It's not available where I am. I think that's the first thing the doctors think of. Here is a website that lists your options.

    http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-heavy/Pages/Treatment.aspx

    I found it a difficult experience, heavy periods, and also the anemia. It really exacerbated my depression, especially before my periods. I also started to dread them. I think they are getting lighter now, although it's a month by month thing. I am taking a lot of iron supplements and that really helps the depression. I do still plan my social life around them, always take that weekend off from any socializing. 

    Take care Denise.

  • Posted

    Hi Denise.

    If you go through the forum here you'll find lots of discussions on this topic.

    Fibroids are usually caused by a high ratio of oestrogen to progesterone. It's expected that in the postmenopausal phase they'll decreases or disappear altogether...not before that. 

    Because this is not beneficial to have large fibroids or heavy bleeding it's advised either to take herbal supplements like Vitex to regulate hormonal output or take natural/bioidentical Progesterone to neutralise oestrogen excess. The brand name for  prescription Progesterone in the UK and EU is Utrogestan and in the US it's Prometrium. Do not confuse natural progesterone with artificial progestins like medroxyprogesterone acetate(Provera) and similar ones because these are carcinogenic whilst natural progesterone is cancer protective. 

    For heavy bleeding, regardless of fibroids, it's important to continue taking iron and bioflavonoids are also helpful as they eradicate inflammatory processes in the uterus. This is better and non harmful in contrast with NSAIDS (Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) like ibuprofen that hurt your stomach.

    I hope this is useful to you. Here at Patient and at CEMCOR website you'll find more info. on this.

    Take care. Teresa.

    • Posted

      Thanks all for comments thus far. To control heavy bleeding I have been prescribed tranexmic acid and mefenamic acid to take during periods. I also take iron. I am 50 and perimenopause. Last time I tried progestrogen contraceptive it threw my moods out so I stopped it and the mirena was taking a while to kick in so I stopped that..
    • Posted

      As I said Progesterone is not  the same as Progestogen. They are prescribed for the same purposes by doctors by they're oblivion to the fact that thers's now plenty of negative info on the latter which doesn't apply to the former. 
    • Posted

      Sorry your bleeding is so heavy. Glad for the good advice here, about iron and other supplements to replenish.

      Many years ago my gyn. helped me find a progestin that I could tolerate (mood-wise and also pain tolerance improved.) Aygestin (U.S. trade name, generic is norethindrone here.) I just read up on possible side effects, but I didn't have any. Long story, just to say it may be possible to find something that works well for you. I was not aware of carcinogenic effect and took it for about 30 years. My current gyn. prefers prescribing Prometrium (so-called bio-identical) but I developed strong side effects to that one, not to mention wt. gain, dizziness, etc. even tho they say it's bio-identical. New MD sugg. to keep taking it and see if side effects might wear off. Some did, but ended up discontinuing it.

    • Posted

      Apologies for intruding: for you it would be perhaps better to use natural progesterone cream.
    • Posted

      You didn't intrude, Teresa. : ) Thanks for progesterone cream idea. I used that for a while early on, trying to avoid HRT in fact. Didn't get (any observable) results. I love the natural ways of staying healthy too. Then again, have a pragmatic streak that goes for quality of life and feeling good even if there may be risks sometimes as we're passing through. : ) Thank heavens we're all different and nowadays there are so many options to try. Again, thanks. Laurie
    • Posted

      Hi Laurie, 

      maybe some creams are just better than others. I believe the reason why the pharmaceuticals didn't start producing more progesterone creams as HRT is because they didn't find a stable enough formula that guarantees intake. There's Crinone but it's mainly used for pregnancy. Dr. Lee's or Dr. Jonathan Wright's progesterone creams should be the best because of the long experience they have with them. In the EU we don't have so many options unless, of course, we order them online. In any case, just like the oestrogen/estradiol gel we always should be rotating the application spots so that the receptors don't get "numb". For progesterone creams there are more spot options than for estradiol gel: arms, neck, inner thighs, breasts, etc. So, bottom line, this rotation may also allow better intake of the progesterone. Take care. 

  • Posted

    Hi Denise, my gyno diagnosed me with a fibroid and a slightly enlarged uterus. I also just had a op to save the uterus as it was prolapsing down. i did not want a hysterectomy and hopefully i will not have to have one in the future. Sounds really awful i know! I had a lot of heavy bleeding and got low in iron. Get your hormones tested. I think estrogen feeds the fibroids.  My bleeding has eased of for now. I have not had a peroid for over 6 weeks now. Keep your iron levels up and eat well. You can read all sorts of things online about fibroids. You just need to keep in check of things. Some iron tablets can make you constipated, i have heard there is a liquid iron which is good, but it is quite expensive. I cannot remember what it is called now? I did not find out about my fibroid until my other gyno problems, When you go through the menopause fibroids shrink. Some women have massive fibroids and end up having a hysterectomy but there are other treatments out there to consider. Sorry i cannot help you alot as i did not know i had fibroids until recently really. If i do think of anything else to help i will you know.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.