Chances are, you know a woman who’s experienced fibroids — growths of the uterus. These growths are pretty common; at least a quarter of women have signs of fibroids that can be detected on an ultrasound or with a physical examination.
And if you didn’t know someone with fibroids before, you might know someone now.
Yesterday, I had a physical with a pelvic examination. Fun times! Let’s just say that my uterus is not the best-behaved organ out there. In the last year or so, my periods have been very irregular and have come with terrible cramps and hormonal migraines.
Before my exam, I talked to both my general practitioner and the nurse midwife doing the exam about my concerns. (And my nerves, because a pelvic exam always gets me a little anxious!) During the exam, the nurse midwife asked me about other symptoms, too. (And was joking around with me to help put me at ease!)
The pelvic exam revealed that I have an enlarged uterus. The nurse midwife showed me (with her hands) the approximate size of a normal uterus, and the approximate size of mine — and there’s a marked difference. Enough that she suspects I have fibroids, and has ordered a pelvic ultrasound to try to confirm.
I bet that’s gonna be a real laugh a minute! (And yes, I’m going to blog about it!)
It’s actually a relief to know that there might be a reason why my body acts so strange every month — and knowing the reason means that I’m on the way to knowing how to treat the problem.
My aunt (who is a nurse) has been through all of this — she had a hysterectomy a few years ago to deal with her fibroid problem once and for all. She’s already given me an idea of what the ultrasound will be like, and some questions for the doctor and nurse midwife at my follow-up visit.
So all in all, I’m feeling pretty upbeat about my crash course in fibroids. If it turns out that I do have fibroids, there are a lot of different options for treatment that can relieve my symptoms. If it turns out that I don’t have fibroids, we’ll keep working on the mystery of my misbehaving uterus!