Letters to the Editor
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Huh?
I dunno what circles you move in, but Uterine fibriods are well known and discussed in mine as well as the various treatment methods - myomectomies etc. All the GP's we've seen have been well informed and aware of them. Seen them brought up in discussion on womens and general health shows heaps of times and this has been the case for years.
Of course my experiences are in Australia/NZ.
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The Grim Reality
Two months ago, my best friend perished horribly from cancer. Several doctors diagnosed her with fibroids. It was not fibroids. It was a highly invasive uterine carcinosarcoma. She was 55. If the fibroids don't start to shrink after menopause, something is wrong. Get a biopsy. And at any age, a simple sonogram might not be enough. MRI scans and biopsies might be necessary to be sure. Fran Drescher's excellent book "Cancer Shmancer" discusses these issues, as her case was similar to my dear friend's case. Fortunately, Ms. Drescher's diagnosis came early enough for sound and effective treatment. I wish so much that i could say the same for my friend. Those of us who lost a unique and wonderful person in our lives will mourn the loss forever.
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15 years ago
when I was diagnosed with a fibroid as big as a normal 9 month pregnancy the only articles I could find about non-hysterectomy alternatives were from Israeli and French Medical journals...though I found two good articles on removing them from horses.
My first doctors insisted hysterectomy was the only option and that I had to immediately have surgery in case it was really cancer...due to the fact that it appeared within two months and was so big. I was stupid and did not get a second opinion. I did have my Mom come and supervise - she's an RN - and refused to sign consent for hysterectomy unless it was cancer. My husband also stood his ground along with my Mom and made sure that the Docs stuck to the agreement. It was not cancer - it was a gigantic external fibroid around my right fallopian tube and ovary. Instead of removing the fibroid, the Docs did a great deal of damage due to its location and their 'fear' that I would bleed to death if they removed it. In the end they closed up the wound which did not heal well - it stretches from above my belly botton to below my pubic bone. I was pressured to seek counselling to get over my neurotic desire to maintain my fertility among other rudenesses. I was very close to suicide when an acquaintance, an older sensible woman who was a french literature professor, told me to go to University Hospitals and see Doctor Sogor. He did his damnedest to repair the damage... plastic surgery for the interior, removed the fibroid - I did need transfusions - and tried to repair the wound. Everything but one fallopian tube came out looking fine and apparently working. We tried getting pregnant beginning as soon as I healed completely. Dr. Sogor sent a letter and a video of the surgery to my previous Docs explaining to them how this should have been done and offering to assist them further in their education. We were not able to get pregnant after many attempts and options but at least we had the chance. At least one Doctor felt that a woman's fertility was not a frivolous or neurotic choice.
Thank heavens he's educated a whole new generation of Docs with brains and hearts.
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out of sight, out of mind
It isn't just uterine fibroids that you won't hear about, but an overwhelming number of problems dealing with "down there". If it isn't easy to see and there isn't a definitive blood test for it, chances are that American medicine is pretty (if you'll excuse the language) craptacular about it. I bled for months on end, and no doctor could even diagnose it beyond "bleeding". Well, hell, I knew that (what, did they think I was exuding ketchup?). They tried hormonal therapy -- no help. They tried minimally invasive surgery to stop the bleeding and take a look around and try to see what was wrong. The bleeding came back. All they could offer at that point was a hysterectomy.
Somehow, my confidence in the medical profession was not bolstered by "well, we don't know what's wrong, but we'd like to remove an organ".
And unfortunately, I don't think that my experience is as unusual as it should be. I lived in a city with multiple world class medical schools, surrounded by research facilities that are literally on the leading edge of medical science. Moreover, I am an upper-middle class white woman with good health insurance. Not that it is acceptable for any person ever to receive sub-standard medical care based on race or class, but the absence of other factors that frequently lead to unfairly diminished care in my situation leads me to believe that the doctors were actually doing the best that they could.
And that is a dismal thought. If "we don't know what's wrong, so the best course is to remove an organ" is the best that could be done -- well, that is just pathetic. We look back in history and think that treating colds with laudanum was barbaric. But ignorant overuse of hysterectomies is, to my mind, at least as horrifyingly irresponsible.
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More !
The connection between women's growing health issues related to the reproductive system and our environment has not been inexorably proven, but it certainly has basis for serious consideration and further research. Rachel Carson predicted a glut of women's fertility and reproductive issues in her well known and respected 'Silent Spring', and here we are years later, living proof her theory had basis in fact. Part of solving these kinds of health issues is creating solutions for the massive amount of chemicals and toxins in our homes, clothing, cars, machines, cleansers, makeups, lotions, etc.
A serious push for chemical (especially parabens, known endocrine disrupters) free products such as makeups and lotions has begun, and it is easier now to find such offerings than it has been since we began using these additives.
Considering endocrine disrupters and hormone balance as a part of this and other female health issues is imperative. Studying the effects of birth control hormones in our water, endocrine disrupters in almost every product we lay on our skin or in our mouths and environmental (through food as well) damage to our hormone levels is going to be the cutting edge for women's health research. Curative measures are not going to be effective if we leave the underlying issue of serious hormone imbalances- including progesterone, estrogen, cortisol and testosterone - un-addressed. It is my strongest desire as a women with Endometriosis (a more serious disease) and the mother of a radiantly healthy 6 year old that we deal with these issues head on before we have future generations of girls with staggering reproductive health issues.