This is a sponsored post from Change the Cycle. All opinions are my own.
If you’re one of the 20-80% of women who deal with fibroids, then you are all too familiar with the pain, cramping and heavy bleeding that comes with it. Other side effects can also include frequent urination, periods that can last longer than a week and even trouble conceiving.1
If you’re not familiar with what fibroids are, you’re not alone. Women may feel embarrassed to talk about their symptoms and share what they’re going through with family, friends, or even their doctor; or they may not even know they have fibroids. So – what are they? Fibroids are noncancerous tissue growths in the muscle walls of the uterus.2
Many women suffer in silence and assume the pain and heavy bleeding is something they just have to learn to live with. It’s time to stop the shame and let women know that they are not alone when dealing with fibroids and that there is a lot of help, resources and advice on how to deal with them.
For years, many women were told and assumed their only option for removing fibroids was to have a hysterectomy. Women who were still in the prime of their childbearing years have had that taken away too soon with a hysterectomy because they wanted the relief of the pain or bleeding. 200k women per year in the US undergo that huge surgery because they didn’t know they had other options.3
But there is help. There are a variety of effective alternatives and treatment options that are safe and minimally invasive. Some of them include:4
- Eating a healthy diet (avoid these 4 diet mistakes)
- Increasing iron intake
- Increasing vitamin C
- Yoga
- Acupuncture
- Drug therapy
- Minor procedures
If you want to find even more detailed treatment options, you can read about them on the Change the Cycle website.
July is Fibroid awareness month and it is the time to show my support by wearing white. Myself and Change the Cycle are joining the White Dress Project to raise awareness of this important month and Fibroids.
Change the Cycle wants to stop the negative thoughts surrounding wearing white during your period, or the feeling of embarrassment if an accident happens resulting from heavy bleeding. Wear that white and feel empowered to change the cycle.
I wear white for one of my best friends who had a minimal procedure done to help her heavy bleeding and pain. I also wear white to spread awareness to my readers and to other women in hopes to help them also feel empowered. We are all strong, empowered women who have each other’s back and we’re not going to let our heavy periods, pain and fibroids hold us down.
I would love to hear why you wear white. Share your story with me on social media with the hashtag #WhyIWearWhite. Let your friends or family know they’re not alone.
REFERENCES:
- Fibroids. National Women’s Health Resource Center. http://www.healthywomen.org/condition/fibroids. Accessed May 16, 2017
- Uterine fibroids: Overview Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-fibroids/home/ovc-20212509. Accessed April 25, 2017
- Center for Uterine Fibroids. Surgical Treatments for Fibroids. http://www.fibroids.net/fibroids.html#hysterectomy. Accessed April 25, 2017.
- Uterine fibroids: Overview Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-fibroids/home/ovc-20212509. Accessed April 25, 2017
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