menopause / fibroid activity /spotting

Hi Soul Sis - I don't know about the fibroid, but I'd say that menopause alone could account for the skipping/spotting. Anything might be considered normal. See what develops and keep us posted. Not much help, I know.....better answers will follow, hopefully! - Surviving

Dear Soul Sister

Your situation sounds very much like mine. I am into menopause and am skipping periods and doubling up on periods as well as spotting often.

I also have a 'bulky uterus' with a couple of large fibroids which I hope to reduce without surgery.

I don't have any answers for you, but I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this.

Thank you for the 'heads-up' about the D&C. If the question ever arises about me having one, I will be more prepared with an answer.

want2know

Glad to hear you are out there working and learning. Yes, the old stress can make you forgetful, so yeah start pushing the old relaxing and no dwelling on the negative. Also, sorry to hear about the spotting, it can be alarming, but it could prove to be a plus with menopause on the horizon. Menopause really doesn't need to be a terrible time and I'm sure you will be ok. After all, you have a head start what with your diet and posture and exercise and all, and with the new job a beautiful distraction away from any symptoms you may briefly experience. If it is the fibroid, you seem to have got on top of your research. You may have already read this thread
http://www.abc.net.au/health/yourstories/stories/2011/08/25/3299982.htm#...
It and the following comments seem to correspond with your thinking.
best of everything, Fab

Thank you for directing me back to this forum topic, Soul Sister

I read a few of the life stories in the link that Fab posted, and I am encouraged to keep on doing what I'm doing.

As you probably realize from other posts that I've done recently, I've greatly changed my diet in the last couple of months. I've started doing daily fruit smoothies and fresh vegetable juices. Possibly, my fibroid is shrinking (?) I'll know more after my ultrasound on August 20th.

Thanks again

:-)
w2k

Hi w2k, refresh my memory.....are you hoping that the dietary changes are shrinking the fibroid? Are you getting the ultrasound for purposes of monitoring the fibroid or were there other concerns?

Admittedly I don't have fibroids and most everything I've learned about them comes from here and from Nora Coffey's book. I don't think the shrinking starts until after menopause. In fact, they tend to have a growth spurt right before, which I suspect is the reason a lot of women panic at this time.

When it comes to female reproductive health, I don't trust doctors. If you go to them with what you consider a problem, they will offer you a medical solution. Not many of them will say, "go home, take care of yourself, wait it out, you're fine".

I salute you for the wonderful dietary changes you have made.....I have such a long way to go in this area and I'm just getting started. I read things right here every day that give me so much motivation, yet there is just too much bad food that I love. I'm following the advise of Fab and Aging Gracefully in really focusing on the sugar, but even that is a struggle for me. My husband does what you do, w2k, and he has never felt better.

I am glad you are continuing to get information and support here as you prepare for your next procedure. Good luck and keep us all posted. - Surviving

Speaking of sugar, I found a low glycemic coconut palm sugar, and made some peanut butter cookies with it. They turned out great! I was using the brown rice syrup as a sweetner, but it is so thick and gooey, and there is some reservation with the arsenic scare that has me looking at other alternatives.
I know, sweetner is sweetner, but they are nice for transitioning from the white stuff.
And, just in case I have some gluten sensitivities, I studied up on making my own gluten free flours. I found a great recipe that had sorghum flour, millet flour, sweet rice flour, and potato starch in it. I also used that in my cookies. Gotta keep that hubby of mine happy with his treats.
Sorry for interrupting, I know this section was about fibroids. I do remember how my mom struggled with all that bleeding with her fibroid, and I do wish the best for you w2k. She didn't have a forum like this to ask questions, how lucky we all are to have a place like this where we can ask anything we want.

I am hoping that the dietary changes are shrinking the fibroid. The ultrasound was initially booked because the doctor wanted to find out why I am continually getting bladder infections, but the gynecologist wants to use the information from the ultrasound to monitor the fibroid -- to see if it's still growing.

My gynecologist encouraged me in the diet changes because she said that 'fat feeds fibroids'. So, whether or not my change in diet will shrink them, I'm sure that my overall health will be improved by it.

After all I've read on the forum and on the internet, I don't trust doctors to look after my 'female parts'. I don't believe that I have any 'spare parts' or ones that I can do without *chuckle*, so I'm doing everything I can to preserve them.

As far as my dietary changes are concerned, I have always had problems 'dieting' or just 'cutting back' on sweets etc. The only other method of eating that I found worked well for me to lose weight was Suzanne Somers "Eat Great, Lose Weight". Again, it was a method of eating lots of good food (in correct combinations) so that I filled up and didn't crave sugar.

I'm not using sugar substitutes or anything -- I'm just eating less sweets because I'm totally satisfied with the natural sweetness in the fruits and veggies.

I do eat 3 to 4 squares of dark chocolate daily (70% cocoa) -- the cocoa has iron in it, and it satisfies my 'woman's chocolate cravings'

This 'smoothie' and 'veggie juice' plan is great ... because I can still eat regular meals and I don't have to worry about what I can and can't eat when I'm invited out to dinner. My smoothie satisfies me for breakfast, and my veggie juice helps fill me up at supper time. The only problem I'm having with it so far though is that I have daily diarrhea -- very liquidy diarrhea -- and I have to figure out what exactly is causing it.

Thanks so much for the information and support here. I will try to keep you all posted

:-)
w2k

P.S. I probably would have ended up at 'emerge' last evening -- when the bleeding & clots started all over again -- if I hadn't had you good women on the forum to turn to

Here is some of the info I found online -- that encourages me to believe that I COULD possibly shrink the fibroid prior to menopause. (I'm sure that one of our contributors here mentioned that she had shrunk hers by diet as well):

* Avoid meats other than salmon, mackerel, tuna and cold-water fish which actually help reduce inflamed tissues and fibroid irritation. In general, avoid junk foods, fast foods, saturated fats, sugar, bleached white flour and processed foods. Also avoid alcohol and tobacco products.

* Eat a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, especially raw fruits and vegetables for their fiber content and their digestive enzymes which help remove fibrin.

* Incorporate pinto beans, split peas, lima beans, black beans and kidney beans into your diet to diminish estrogen levels and thwart fibroid growth. Eat at least one helping of beans every day.

* Eat natto regularly. Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans and is commonly eaten for breakfast in Japan. It contains the fibrinolytic enzyme nattokinase. (Note: avoid all non fermented soy products).

* Limit the amount of estrogen that enters your body. Reducing estrogen levels can naturally shrink fibroids. This includes limiting the use of birth control pills, hormone replacement drugs, spermicides and pesticides.

* Practice stress reduction techniques. Stress can deplete progesterone in the body and lead to a surge of estrogen. Taking the time to de-stress can help shrink fibroids naturally. Also get adequate sleep, since lack of proper sleep can contribute to stress.

* Watch your weight. Losing weight can potentially help shrink uterine fibroids naturally

* Mix one to two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses with 6 oz. milk. Drink once or twice daily to help remedy issues related to anemia by improving iron and potassium levels. The healthiest and best tasting milk, if available, is raw goat's milk.

* Drink two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with 8 oz. of water once each day to help with the elimination of body toxins and with fat loss.

* To speed up fibroid elimination, take 3-4 digestive enzyme tablets two or three times daily on an empty stomach. As mentioned earlier, digestive enzymes help break up and dissolve fibrin. Be sure to include serrapeptase for maximum fibrin elimination.

I am not using all of these tips, but I'm following enough of them to make a difference

:-)
w2k

P.S. The basis of my daily vegetable juice is one or two carrots -- because of one of Aussie Soul Sister's posts -- and then I add whatever fresh vegetables and greens are at hand

My juicer definitely lets me have 75% of the fibre, so I'm getting lots of fibre from all the veggies I'm juicing. Now that the garden is producing, I'm eating a handful of garden carrots each day as well.

:-)
w2k