It is surprising to discover that 25% of women enter menopause as a result of a medical treatment instead of entering by natural means. Most of those women begin menopause suddenly with a hysterectomy (also known as surgical menopause) often the result of uterine fibroids.
What are Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are growths of muscle and connective tissue in, on, or within the walls of the uterus. Growing in clusters, sometimes as big as an early pregnancy, fibroids can cause heavy bleeding or irregular bleeding. On rare occasions, these uterine fibroids may be cancerous.
Many women have fibroids and are unaware of it because of relatively innocuous symptoms. Some women have only a couple while others have very large clusters. The fibroids are often discovered by doctors during routine exams. As a treatment, many women choose to have a hysterectomy, forcing their body into early menopause.
What Causes Uterine Fibroids? The Connection between Hormones and Fibroids
While the exact cause of the uterine fibroids are not known, there are a number of contributing factors, including a connection between hormones and fibroids.
There also seems to be a connection to uterine fibroids and genetics. If women in your immediate family (mother, daughters, and sisters) have fibroids, it is likely that you will develop them too. This connection may be hereditary or simply due to a shared lifestyle, or even a combination of both.
One purpose of estrogen in a woman’s body is to stimulate cell growth; progesterone on the other hand, balances estrogen and in turn inhibits cell growth. There is a direct connection between hormones specifically including estrogen, xenoestrogens, progesterone, and cortisol and your fibroids . If your body lacks progesterone and/or has too much estrogen, it may contribute to excessive fibroid growth. Xenoestrogens, the hormones that are chemically similar to estrogen but are found outside of the body, may also contribute to the problem. Common sources of xenoestrogens include growth hormones found in food and pesticides. Stress and cortisol have also been found to have a connection to uterine fibroids. All these factors combined, demonstrate that the connection between unbalanced hormones and fibroids are more than a coincidence.
How BodyLogicMD Can Help
Given the above factors of hormones and fibroids, there is reason to believe that natural hormone replacement therapy may help prevent the growth of uterine fibroids. At BodyLogicMD, an expert physician will test and then implement a customized program to balance your hormones. If your levels of progesterone are too low and/or your levels of estrogen are too high, your program will bring your hormones to a natural balance. This balance includes cortisol and monitoring stress levels. Along with balancing your hormones, BodyLogicMD anti-aging physicians use a nutrition, supplement and fitness regiment to keep your hormones balanced. This means your physician can give you a nutrition guide that will help you avoid xenoestrogens.
Because of the abrupt and drastic change a hysterectomy causes your body, it should be a last resort. Bioidentical hormone therapy may eliminate the need for a hysterectomy in the case of uterine fibroids.
Contact the BodyLogicMD bioidentical hormone doctor nearest you to schedule an appointment and learn more about how hormone therapy can used to prevent unbalanced hormones and fibroids.