If you’re struggling with abdominal pain, painful periods, heavy bleeding, and fatigue, you might be one of the millions of women diagnosed with uterine fibroids each year. And you may be wondering how to relieve fibroid pain naturally.
As the most common non-cancerous growth affecting those assigned female at birth, uterine fibroids occur in up to 70 percent of those who have not reached menopause.
A quarter of people with uterine fibroids seek treatment. Conventional treatment typically involves hormonal birth control, medication, or surgery. But these treatments don't address the root causes of fibroids.
Following surgical removal, up to one-third of fibroids recur and roughly 10 percent of women will have a hysterectomy within 10 years.
Lifestyle changes can target the underlying causes of uterine fibroids and can result in lasting improvement. According to Jessie Wei, MD, some long-term treatments involve modifying your nutrition, sleep habits, and stress-management strategies.
Causes of uterine fibroids
Over the course of a healthy menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone interact to maintain a delicate balance. For people who have uterine fibroids, however, that balance tips toward estrogen dominance, a major culprit behind the condition.
“It’s what happens when estrogen, which is our main sexual hormone," says Danielle DeSimone, a former Parsley Health provider, " is either too high in the body or estrogen might be a completely normal level, but it’s going unchecked by too little progesterone.”
One study noted that while uterine fibroids are associated with many variables, estrogen’s role is especially concerning. Fibroids have not been documented in people who haven't reached puberty, and the condition recedes after menopause—the phase of life when estrogen is naturally low.
According to the National Institute of Health, the following are additional risk factors for fibroids.
older age
race (Black people are at a higher risk)
obesity
a family history of fibroids
high blood pressure
no history of pregnancy
Vitamin D deficiency
the consumption of food additives and soy milk