Uterine Fibroid Prevention Strategies

Uterine fibroids are a disease that impacts 80% of women by age 50. While some women may have fibroids and experience little to no symptoms, others have debilitating effects that impair their day-to-day lives. While there is no way to 100% prevent fibroids, you can work to reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy diet, body weight, and regular exams. Lifestyle changes can also support a healthy uterus and reduce the risk of fibroids, so let’s dive into how you can take charge of your health.

Diet and Fibroids

Diet plays a big part in overall health, and fibroid prevention is no exception. Working to lower your blood pressure is one way to reduce your risk of fibroids, which involves avoiding certain foods:

• With added salt

• High-sodium, processed, and packaged foods

• Avoiding or limiting alcohol

• Refined carbs and added sugar, including table sugar, glucose, dextrose, maltose, corn syrup, white bread, rice, pasta, and flour, soda and sugary drinks, fruit juice, potato chips, crackers, and packaged energy bars.

Food can be used as a way to support a healthy lifestyle and uterus, as well as relieve fibroid symptoms you may be currently living with. Balancing your hormones also comes into play here, as an excess of estrogen can significantly increase the chance of fibroid development. Because fat cells contribute to the production of estrogen, losing and maintaining a healthy weight is also important. You should also avoid hormone-imbalancing ingredients and chemicals, including fertilizers, pesticides, plastics such as BPA, nonstick cookware, and dyes.

Vitamin D has been found to help reduce your risk of fibroids by almost 32%, so increasing your intake of foods rich in this nutrient is a great step, including:

• Egg yolks

• Fortified milk, cheese, and dairy products

• Fortified cereals

• Fortified orange juice

• Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel

• Cod liver oil

Foods rich in fiber can also help balance your hormones and weight, as well as keep blood sugar levels steady. These fiber-rich foods can help fend off fibroids:

• Cooked and raw vegetables

• Cooked, raw, and dried fruit

• Whole grain bread and pasta

• Oats

• Lentils

• Barley

• Beans

One study has even found that green tea, packed with antioxidants, can help slow the growth of fibroids by balancing estrogen levels and fending off inflammation.

Exercise and Fibroids

Because weight management is so vital for mitigating fibroid development and symptoms, exercise is an important element to incorporate into your routine. While the type of exercise ultimately comes down to personal preference, something gentle and sustainable that doesn’t put too much pressure on the abdomen is ideal.

The Midwest Institute for Non-surgical Therapy recommends focusing on cardiovascular activities, including walking or moderate jogging, swimming, or cycling. Yoga can also be a good option, particularly gentle and accessible poses.

Lifestyle Changes and Fibroids

Changes in your personal lifestyle may also need to be addressed when it comes to fibroid risk. The following lifestyle changes can help decrease the risk of fibroid development:

• Increased physical activity

• Improving diet and sleep

• Managing stress levels

• Avoiding smoking

• Reducing caffeine and alcohol intake

• Increased vitamin D intake

You can even stack some of these habits, like vitamin D, exercise, and stress mitigation, by incorporating nature walks into your routine. When reducing caffeine in your diet, you can try caffeine alternatives that still energize you, as well as improve your sleep quality.

The Fibroid Institute Texas has found a tangible correlation between stress and the emergence of fibroids. although the specifics are still being researched. You can manage your stress levels in many different ways, like seeking therapy, engaging in meditative exercises like yoga, or going on nature walks, which can help connect you to your body and provide some relief to your racing mind.

Other Prevention Strategies

Regular gynecological exams and screenings are an important part of managing fibroids. Because symptoms can vary so much among individuals, consulting a professional who will use ultrasound or MRI technology to diagnose the condition is necessary.

There are several different medical treatments that play a role in the prevention of fibroids, although which is right for you depends on several different factors, including the number, size, and location of fibroids, your symptoms, and your desire for pregnancy.

There are several different medical treatments that play a role in the prevention of fibroids, although which is right for you depends on several different factors, including the number, size, and location of fibroids, your symptoms, and your desire for pregnancy.

Non-surgical treatments can include over-the-counter medications, birth control, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists that can be taken via a nasal spray or injection and shrink fibroids, or oral therapies.

If your medical practitioner has deemed the issue more severe, however, surgical treatments may be discussed.

Myomectomy: This procedure removes the fibroids through an incision and poses the risk of infection in the uterus, fallopian tubes, or ovaries, as well as scar tissue formation and infertility.

Hysterectomy: A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure that involves removing the uterus along with the fibroids, which results in the permanent end of menstruation and the inability to have children.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE): UFE is a non-surgical option where a catheter is inserted to deliver embolic agents to the artery that feeds the fibroids, causing them to shrink and eventually die. UFE offers several advantages, including a brief recovery time of about one week and preservation of fertility. Many patients report experiencing reduced pain and lighter periods following a UFE procedure.

Conclusion

Education is key to regaining control of your health, and by implementing exercise in your routine, taking a hard look at your diet, and making necessary lifestyle changes, you can fight the good fight against the development of fibroids. Professional treatment is a non-negotiable, and setting that first appointment to check the health of your uterus is key to maintaining that health. If you’re already struggling with symptoms of fibroids, contacting one of our acclaimed fibroid specialists can you started on the track back to health and freedom.

If you are interested in finding out more about fibroids and the treatments available, schedule your fibroid consultation here.

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