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Woman Shows Up at Hospital with 61 Pound Uterine Fibroid

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World’s Largest Fibroid…

A 53-year-old Malay woman living in Singapore recently grabbed international headlines when it was discovered that she was carrying a 61-pound tumor in her uterus. It was reported that the tumor—a uterine fibroid—had first appeared in the woman’s uterus many years before. This just might be the World’s largest fibroid.

What are Uterine Fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors; in fact, they are the most common pelvic tumor for women to be diagnosed with. They are especially prevalent amongst post-menopausal women aged 50 and over. Fibroid symptoms may include: long and heavy periods, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and constipation. However, most women never suspect they have a uterine fibroid until their doctor discovers one during a routine checkup.

Emergency Hospital Visit

This was not the case for the (unnamed) Malay woman, who stayed home and suffered for too long, apparently avoiding a doctor visit because she was afraid of surgery. By the time she finally arrived at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore, complaining that she had been struggling to breathe for six months, she was also bedridden and unable to move. What her doctors found upon examining her came as a shock—the mass in the woman’s uterus had grown to 61 pounds or roughly the size of the average second grader.

Giant Fibroids

According to one report, extremely large uterine fibroids (more than 25 pounds) are rare even among the “giant fibroid” class. This is because a doctor usually detects them during routine examinations, or else the patient complains of symptoms before they can grow to that exaggerated size.

Uterine Fibroid Growth

The sizes of uterine fibroids can range from “undetectable” to the human eye to big, bulky masses that can enlarge the uterus. It is typical for women of childbearing age to develop one of these masses in her uterus. If not treated, uterine fibroids grow gradually over the years at a rate of about 9% over six months. Though they hardly ever develop into cancer, uterine fibroids can become life-threatening when they grow so large that they deform the surrounding organs. Such was the predicament of the Malay woman when she entered the hospital that night.
When the woman arrived at the hospital, “the mass had taken over most of her abdominal and pelvic cavities. She also had been struggling to breathe for six months because the air had not been able to travel freely to her lungs.”

Surgery to Remove Uterine Fibroid

Singaporean doctors were successful in removing the abnormally large uterine fibroid, along with the woman’s uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. The process of removing the mass involved several major operations, followed by plastic surgery to reconstruct her abdominal wall. She was discharged two weeks after surgery.
Two months later she was able to breathe easier, move around on her own, and her abdominal scar had healed, the report says.

What Causes Uterine Fibroids

Doctors still aren’t sure what causes fibroids. However, research suggests it has to do with a combination of hormones and genetics. Estrogen and progesterone both promote the growth of fibroids. As far as heredity, African-American women are more likely to develop fibroids—and at an earlier age. Also, if any woman’s mother or sisters have fibroids, it is likely she will develop them as well.

It is critical that women seek professional help immediately if uterine fibroids are suspected. learn more about your options for non-surgical fibroid treatment and everything there is know about fibroids.

Fibroids, Your Sex Life, and What to Do About It

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Depressed woman in bed with hand on forehead

Uterine fibroids often come with symptoms that can have a significant effect on daily life. One of the common, but often undiscussed challenges is how fibroids impact your sex life. While it isn’t particularly dangerous to have fibroids and engage in intercourse, it can still be a very uncomfortable experience. And certain fibroid symptoms such as weight gain, excessive bleeding and fatigue may contribute to physical and mental issues that cause many women to avoid sex, thanks to fibroids.

Fibroid Symptoms During Sex:

Pelvic and Cervical Pain

Depending on their location, fibroids can have several adverse effects during intercourse. Fibroids that grow along the lining of the uterus, known as submuscosal fibroids, may cause very heavy or unusually prolonged menstrual bleeding. Anxiety, embarrassment or just the fatigue from blood loss can make anyone uninterested or unwilling to engage in sex.

Fibroids located along the outer surface, called subserol fibroids, cause pain by pushing on the pelvic nerves. If the fibroids happen to be on or near the cervix they will make intercourse acutely uncomfortable and may cause spontaneous bleeding. While positions to minimize vaginal penetration may help with this discomfort, sex often becomes a struggle many women choose to avoid.

Weight Gain

Fibroid symptoms such as excessive weight gain and abdominal bloating can negatively impact a woman’s confidence and self-image, reducing her desire to engage with a partner. Very large fibroids, which may extend the uterus to pregnancy dimensions, tend to make sex awkward and unfulfilling.

Heavy Bleeding and Fatigue

A heavy or constant menstrual flow is another significant factor that may inhibit your desire for intercourse. Heavy bleeding that lasts weeks instead of days isn’t just embarrassing or annoying, it can lead to iron and hemoglobin deficiency, a medical condition known as anemia, which causes nausea, dizziness and fatigue.

All of these fibroid symptoms and side-effects take a toll. Not only physically, but also psychologically. Fibroids that impact your sex life have very real consequences. Whether you are married, in a relationship or dating, a medical issue that influences the way you feel about yourself, your body or your sexual desire, shouldn’t be ignored.

Possible Fibroid Symptom Solutions for your Sex Life:

Every woman is different. Every woman’s body is different. There isn’t just one solution to a fibroid problem that’s impacting your sex life. But here are a few simple suggestions that may help. If pelvic and cervical pain are the primary issues, consider changing to one of the following sexual positions to help alleviate pain and pressure:

  • Instead of standard missionary, place a pillow under the buttocks, elevating the angle of penetration
  • Side Lying
  • Doggy Style

Dietary changes that lower estrogen and slow fibroid growth (there is a proven link between estrogen and fibroids) may be useful. Avoiding red meat and dairy, eating more vegetables and organic food, may lessen food-related hormones. While this won’t eliminate fibroids, it may help slow their growth.

Talk to your partner. While fibroids are very personal, so is sex. If fibroids are causing sexual issues and your partner isn’t aware how they affect you, a lack of communication will only cause more problems. A partner who knows you have constraints or physical limitations is far more likely be understanding than someone who assumes you just don’t like sex or don’t like them.

Fibroids that cause life-altering symptoms are not likely to go away by themselves. Yes, there are steps you can take that may lesson uncomfortable intercourse, but professional treatment is ultimately a more practical and lasting solution. Surgeries, like myomectomy, physically remove fibroids. Hysterectomy will remove the uterus and consequently, any uterine fibroids. But something far less drastic or invasive, is a treatment more and more women are choosing: fibroid embolization. Embolization shrinks fibroids instead of surgically removing any tissue or organs. It offers immediate fibroid symptom relief, preserves your fertility, and could get your life (especially your precious and important sex life) back on track.

Is embolization right for you? A free consultation can help you decide.

Fibroids and Stress

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Image showing a woman closing her face with her right hand

There are many important aspects to raising Uterine Fibroid awareness. This includes encouraging women to look more closely at their bodies, learning more about treatment options, and helping them to feel less stressed and isolated. Suffering can be a daunting experience with fibroid symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding, painful sex, and weight gain. These all add up and increase levels of anxiety and stress in a woman’s life. Finding ways to address and manage this stress are often neglected but can be an imperative part of the healing process.

The Relation Between Fibroids and Stress

Concerns for one’s health as well as dealing with painful fibroid symptoms can easily bring about stress. Not only do the symptoms associated with fibroids cause a physical pain, but also an emotional pain for women and their relationship with others. Day to day pain associated with fibroids and an enlarging uterus may make mobility and socializing a much more difficult and a particularly stressful endeavor. Other fibroid symptoms such as pain during intercourse may cause stress to a relationship, as well as the possibility of infertility for couples looking to start a family. Without managing stress, fibroids can quickly overtake a woman’s life and lead to feelings of isolation.

Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Finding the best way to cope with fibroids and stress is unique for every woman. If you’re unsure where to begin, try different type of stress relief techniques at least once to see which ones show the best results. Here are some of the most effective techniques to reducing stress and anxiety:

  1. Finding Support: Turning to family, friends, counselors, or support groups can provide emotional assistance and de-escalate isolation.
  2. Relaxation Exercises: Meditation, breathing exercises, and loosening muscle tension are effective and easy ways to bring stress down on a daily basis.
  3. Making Lifestyle Changes: Exercising and having healthy balanced meals are great for releasing pent up muscles, improving sleep, and metabolizing excessive stress hormones.
  4. Medication: For those who find it particularly difficult to get through stress even after trying the other techniques, medication prescribed by a physician or psychiatrist can be a beneficial alternative.

Find Fibroid Treatment with Fibroid Embolization

Putting an end to stress and pain associated with fibroids can be as simple as finding the right treatment. Embolization is a procedure that shrinks fibroids and alleviate fibroid symptoms, all without the need for invasive surgery. Learn more about fibroid embolization by contacting the Fibroid Treatment Collective at (866) 479-1523.

Can Fibroids Cause Anemia?

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Stock image of a woman sleeping on bed feeling pain

Anemia occurs when the amount of blood the body loses is greater than its ability to replace lost blood cells. This condition is common for women who either experience heavy bleeding due to menstrual periods or have uterine fibroids. In many cases fibroids can be the cause of a heavier menstrual cycle and anemia. A type of fibroids known as submucosal fibroids (located within the uterine cavity); can enlarge the surface area of the endometrium (uterine lining) subsequently causing heavier periods. Fibroids can also contribute to disorders in hormone production, which causes contractions and relaxation of the muscles in the uterus, creating greater blood loss.

Fibroids and Anemia

For women who are suffering from fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding, the loss of blood can also mean loss of hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein found in red blood cells. When iron begins to deplete from the blood, it can no longer carry oxygen. This is known as iron-deficiency anemia. This type of anemia often shows symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, chest pain, and weakness because the blood cannot supply enough oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues. If left untreated, this can lead to severe problems such as pregnancy complications, irregular heartbeats, heart murmur, an enlarged heart, or even heart failure.

Fibroid Treatment Through Embolization

Put an end to the dangers of anemia by addressing fibroid symptoms with the help of effective treatment options. Embolization as well as hysterectomy or a myomectomy can provide women with relief from fibroids and the symptoms associated with them.

Embolization is unique because unlike surgical options, it does not cut, remove, or scar any uterine tissue and has a 90%+ success rate for symptom relief. If you believe the cause of your anemia may be due to fibroids, learn more about fibroid treatment by contacting us today at 1(888) 296-9422.

Fibroid Testimonials and Joining the Fibroid Community

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Two women sitting opposite each other

While fibroids are very common and non-cancerous tumors, many women feel uncomfortable or uncertain speaking openly about them. Often, there’s silence around fibroid symptoms like uncontrolled bleeding, excessive pain, sexual discomfort or fertility issues. But talking about uterine fibroids is crucial. Not just to help with feelings of anxiety or isolation, but to shine the light on a problem that affects millions of women.

You aren’t alone. 1 in 4 women will have uterine fibroids at some point. Chances are, a friend, co-worker, or family member has fibroids and has shared your struggle. By talking to others, we find support, education and encouragement. You may also hear about fibroid treatment options or advances other women are exploring or have experienced.

If you are interested in openly joining the fight against fibroids, consider getting involved with COMPARE-UF. This registry is a patient-driven organization designed to bring women together and share their fibroid testimonials. The data, coordinated by the Duke Clinical Research Institute, will be used to help future patients make more informed decisions about their own treatment plans. We still have so much to learn about the treatment of uterine fibroids. By disclosing your treatment experience, you can actively help defeat this affliction.

More Fibroid Testimonials

If talking freely about fibroids just doesn’t feel right, you can still join the conversation by visiting https://fibroids.com/success-stories. Here, you’ll find patient videos from a broad spectrum of women discussing fibroid symptoms, fibroid surgery and a non-surgical treatment approach called fibroid embolization. Many of the interviews come from women who have lived with fibroids for years or endured multiple surgeries before finding non-surgical relief. You can learn more about embolization by contacting the Fibroid Treatment Collective at (866) 479-1523.

Dealing with fibroids doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. Engaging with others to discuss fibroid symptoms, share stories and evaluate fibroid treatment options truly helps us feel more in control and more confident about the steps we take to deal with them.

Can Fibroids Damage Your Kidneys?

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Pain

Uterine fibroids are typically known for creating symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain, however depending on location and size, they can also present less common problems. For a small percentage of women, fibroids can negatively affect the health of their kidneys.

Fibroids and Kidney Pain

Although fibroids are made of muscle tissue found in the uterus, they can outgrow the space within the uterine walls and expand to a size large enough to affect the ureter. The ureter is the tube that connects the bladder and the kidney. When fibroids down on the ureter, the kidneys swell and develop a condition known as hydronephrosis.

Hydronephrosis is often associated with painful urination, an increased urge to urinate, as well as flank and back pain. In more severe cases, permanent kidney damage may also occur. If you are currently experiencing any of these symptoms or suspect your kidneys may be at risk due to your fibroids, consult with your doctor immediately. Urine and blood tests can show whether your kidneys are functioning properly or at risk.

Fibroid Treatment

For those experiencing kidney complications due to fibroids, removal is essential to alleviate these symptoms. While fibroid surgery like a hysterectomy and myomectomy are commonly utilized, a less invasive procedure such as uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) gets the job done without the scars or trauma associated with surgery.

Fibroid embolization works by shrinking the enlarged fibroid that is pressing down on the ureter and affecting the kidneys. By shrinking the fibroid instead of removing it, patients experience a quick and effective procedure with no chance of fibroid regrowth. While the likelihood of uterine fibroids affecting your kidneys is extremely rare, taking the risk is never the answer. If you have noticed fibroid symptoms, learn more about living fibroid-free with embolization by contacting us at: (866) 479-1523.

Fibroid Questions to Ask Your Doctor

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Doctors and patients sit and talk

What are the symptoms of fibroids? Addressing your concerns immediately can save you years of future fibroid pain and infertility. Ask your doctor any and all questions. The more you know about fibroids, the better you can understand which fibroid treatment is right for you. To get in touch with the best fibroids doctor in Los Angeles, contact the Fibroid Treatment Collective to consult with Dr. McLucas.

When speaking with your doctor, you may want to begin by asking how, and why fibroids may be growing in your uterus. While each woman’s case is unique, your doctor may tell you that fibroids have been linked to increased estrogen, and for many women, fibroids begin during pregnancy, and before menopause. If your symptoms began around these times fibroids may be the cause.

Outline Your Fibroid Symptoms

Give your doctor an overview of your symptoms, in addition to asking any specific symptom related questions. If you are experiencing an unusually heavy menstrual cycle, ask about the differences between a very heavy period, and fibroid related bleeding. It may be difficult to tell for most women on their own, so be as thorough as possible when explaining your symptoms. Fibroid related bleeding usually results in large clots, chunks of tissue in the blood, the irregular intensity of flow, and a longer-lasting period.

If your stomach is enlarging unexpectedly, ask your doctor if it could be related to fibroid growth. Fibroids may be the cause if you have gained weight with no apparent dietary changes, are not pregnant, and are experiencing abdominal bloating. In some cases, fibroids have been known to press on organs and nerves, causing back and leg pain, and constipation, and urinary frequency.

Fibroid Treatment Options

After going over possible fibroid symptoms with your doctor, ask about your treatment. A hysterectomy and myomectomy are common surgical procedures that many women undergo to remove the uterus or fibroids. However, be sure to also ask your doctor about non-surgical fibroid treatments, which are often a preferable option for women who want children or are looking for an alternative to surgery.

Medical therapies, which include birth control pills, progestins, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), analogues, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs), and aromatase inhibitors have been used to treat fibroid symptoms, but have also shown side effects. If you are interested in medical therapy, it’s important to ask about the risks involved and how well they treat fibroids. For instance, progestins alone (oral, intramuscular, or intrauterine) may control bleeding by reducing endometrial hyperplasia, but their use will not result in tumor shrinkage and may, in fact, induce tumor growth.

Non-Surgical Fibroid Treatment

Ask your doctor about uterine fibroid embolization, another non-surgical option that has helped over 90% of patients experience relief from their symptoms and shown significant fibroid shrinkage. If you are interested in any of these fibroid treatment options, remember to be clear with your doctor about each of your symptoms as well as any concerns or treatment preferences you may have, to help you make an informed decision. To learn more about fibroid symptoms and to get in touch with the best fibroids doctor in Los Angeles, contact us at (888) 296-9422.

Can Fibroid Surgery Risk Spreading Cancer?

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Stock image of a doctor explaining to patient

For most women with Uterine Fibroids, cancer is not an issue because fibroids are essentially benign growths in the uterus that can be removed or shrunk. However, in extremely rare cases, instead of a non-cancerous growth, women may be dealing with a type of cancer known as uterine sarcoma. Unfortunately for these women, there is no definite way of knowing prior to surgery if the tumor is benign or cancerous.

Typical Fibroid Surgery

When undergoing a hysterectomy or myomectomy through the laparoscope, a device known as a morcellator breaks up tissue into tiny pieces that can then be removed through a small incision. After surgery, the study of the tissue can indicate if cancerous cells are present. When the morcellator cuts tissue to extract it, small pieces of a cancerous growth have the potential to spread.

Due to growing concern, the FDA investigated the correlation between women diagnosed with uterine sarcoma and those who have received this procedure. Through public hearings with gynecologists and manufacturers of the morcellators, the FDA has asked for further studies and for gynecologists to discuss with their patients the small possible risk involved with the use of morcellators before proceeding with surgery.

While the spread of cancer may make women want to second-guess getting treatment for fibroids, the worst thing to do is put it off. At the Fibroid Treatment Collective, we can help treat women with an alternative option for their fibroids. Embolization, a non-surgical fibroids treatment in Los Angeles, has helped women around the world achieve a fibroid-free life.

Non-Surgical Fibroid Treatment

Unlike a hysterectomy or myomectomy, which surgically remove the uterus or fibroids, fibroid embolization keeps the uterus completely intact and shrinks fibroids by removing their blood supply. In the rare case embolization fails, our team will know within a two-week period and help our patients find the cause, which may be a uterine sarcoma.  Here at the Fibroid Treatment Collective, we offer free consultations in-office or over the phone. Feel free to contact us for more information. To learn more about fibroids, visit our homepage. 

How Fibroids Affect the Menstrual Cycle

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Stock image of a sitting woman feeling pain

For the majority of a woman’s reproductive life, the regularity of her menstrual cycle is closely associated to her well-being, while an irregular menstruation can often be a sign of abnormal activity in the body. In some instances, Uterine Fibroids are the cause of these abnormalities. For more information on the types of fibroids and steps you can take towards effective fibroid treatment, contact the top fibroids specialist in Los Angeles, Dr. Bruce McLucas for a consultation.

The three types of fibroids: intramural, subserosal, and submucosal can produce different symptoms based on the size and location of the fibroids. Intramural and submucosal fibroids are usually the cause of heavy or abnormal bleeding during a menstrual cycle.

While the main reason for these symptoms are unknown, abnormal bleeding is believed to be caused by the way fibroids change the muscular contraction of the uterus which can prevent it from controlling the amount of bleeding during a cycle. Fibroids have also been shown to compress veins in the uterine wall, creating a dilation of the uterine lining. As the pressure increases in the veins, the lining of the uterus expands, and may result in abnormal bleeding. Heavy menstrual bleeding is usually caused by either intramural fibroids found deep within the wall of the uterus, or submucosal fibroids, found just under the inner lining of the uterus.

Heavy and abnormal bleeding not only increases clot formation, but can also prolong periods, lead to weakness, fatigue, painful cramps in the abdomen and back, and in some cases anemia. Women who have experienced heavy or difficult periods may often not consider fibroids a viable reason for the irregularity in their cycle. If you undergo any of these abnormal symptoms or suffer from overnight excessive flow, consistent bleeding through super tampons or maxi pads, consider making an appointment with your ob/gyn to see if fibroids may be the cause.

Fibroids Specialist in Los Angeles

If fibroids are the cause of your heavy or painful menstrual cycle, don’t delay in seeking effective treatment from a qualified fibroids specialist in Los Angeles. Uterine Fibroid Embolization is a non-surgical procedure especially suited for today’s active, and busy lifestyle. It’s also a great alternative treatment for younger women who may wish to have children because it protects fertility by not cutting, removing, or scarring any uterine tissue. For more information on how embolization can put an end to irregular menstruation, contact The Fibroid Treatment Collective at (866) 479-1523.

How Can Fibroids Affect Your Pregnancy?

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Stock image of a pregnant woman holding her stomach

The presence of fibroids commonly begins during a woman’s childbearing years. For women who are planning for a pregnancy and have fibroids, it is vital to be regularly monitored by your OB/GYN for any signs of growth, so can fibroids affect pregnancy? Fortunately, in most instances, fibroids do not negatively interfere during a pregnancy. However, depending on the size of a fibroid and location within the uterus, complications may arise. No one wants to undergo fibroid treatment while pregnant, which is why it is essential to discuss fibroid treatment as early as possible.

Fibroid Treatment Before Conception

Research suggests that fibroids that alter the shape of the uterine cavity “may reduce fertility as much as 70%.” For women who are considering becoming pregnant and have fibroids, shrinking them may be recommended to improve chances of conception. Fibroids may prevent the sperm and egg from meeting, as well as hinder an embryo’s ability to implant.

One surgical option for fibroid treatment is a myomectomy, which cuts out existing fibroids. While it does remove fibroids, this procedure may result in uterus scarring and present problems for successful embryo implantation. Other drawbacks include a 50% chance of fibroids returning within a 10-month period if any of its cells are left behind during the surgery, as well as a weakening of uterine walls, which can compromise a successful pregnancy.

If you are planning for a pregnancy, the shrinking of fibroids beforehand can be a key component in protecting the welfare and health of the fetus so you can avoid fibroid treatment while pregnant. Uterine Fibroid Embolization offers a non-invasive solution that does not involve cutting, scarring, or fibroid recurrence. Embolization is a non-surgical procedure that focuses only on fibroids, meaning reproductive organs and tissues are left entirely undisturbed and functional to help ensure a healthier pregnancy.

How Fibroids Affect Pregnancy

During pregnancy, hormones in the body cause the uterus to grow and accommodate for the fetus, and in some cases, this massive influx of hormones may also cause fibroids to enlarge creating issues both during pregnancy and delivery. Some fibroids will grow large enough to take much-needed blood supply from the fetus or take up too much room in the uterus, which can result in a miscarriage.

Other consequences that fibroids inflict on pregnancy include acute abdominal pain and in some instances, bleeding if the placenta is near the fibroid. In late pregnancy, women with fibroids are more at risk to develop preterm labor. This can lead to a preterm delivery, which may cause certain developmental deficiencies in childhood.

If the pregnancy goes smoothly despite the presence of fibroids, there can also be challenges during delivery. Fibroids may cause the baby to lie in breech, transverse positions, or block the progress of labor and expulsion of the placenta. In these cases, your doctor may recommend a Cesarean section to avoid further problems.

If you are planning on becoming pregnant, it is important to take these concerns and solutions into consideration. Left untreated, fibroids can potentially damage your chances of conception, the childbearing process, and the delivery of a healthy baby. Uterine Fibroid Embolization provides a safe and effective solution to shrinking fibroids and promoting a healthy pregnancy.

To see the many women who have benefited from the embolization, take a look at our list of patients who now have children. For more information on pregnancy and fibroids get in touch with us today at (866) 479-1523.

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