Fibroids Irregular Periods

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding – AKA having an unusually heavy period is traumatic and can be a sign of fibroids irregular periods.  I’ve been through it so I know.  When our hormones are out of whack, this is what can happen and it can be hard to deal with if you don’t have the right information.

The emotional effects of having a very heavy period

I can’t stress enough how awful this is and if you’re going through it, I understand that it can dramatically affect the quality of your life.  You feel trapped.  Trapped because you don’t know what to do and trapped because many times, you can’t even leave your house (or at least don’t want to).  Initially, I didn’t want to leave the house for fear that I’d have a period accident.

You don’t want to be out in public when this happens so I wanted to avoid it at all costs.  Eventually, I couldn’t leave the house because I’d be bleeding through a tampon every 3 hours.  Then, I’d be bleeding through a tampon every half hour!  And, these weren’t the regular tampons, these were the Super Plus tampons and then the Ultra tampons.  I was beside myself.

Seeing a doctor for Fibroids irregular periods

Another cause of emotional turmoil with dysfunctional uterine bleeding is that when you go to see a doctor, they may dismiss your condition.  This happened to me when a doctor told me that it was a normal part of aging.  Of course, I was mortified.  Life continued for me in this way for some time before it got so bad that I couldn’t leave the house (as I mentioned above, I was soaking tampons very frequently).

Luckily, I eventually found a doctor who told me they could help.  First, they gave me medication to control the bleeding.  While I didn’t want to take medication, I was desperate and I still had to deal with life – family, a job, regular living (i.e. grocery shopping).  So, I took the medication – which did help.

Note:  I really didn’t want to be on medication but I needed to do something.  I’m not suggesting or advocating for taking or not taking.  This is a personal decision for you.

But, I digress…

Fibroids heavy periods

Eventually, I was diagnosed with fibroids and it was causing all sorts of problems.  This doctor was very different from the one who basically told me just to ‘live with it’ because ‘I was aging’.  She listened to me and actually heard me that the heavy bleeding was decreasing my quality of life.  I needed my life back.

Surgery or no surgery

Your doctor may suggest surgery.  Again, this is a personal choice.  You have to decide what is best for you and your quality of life.  If it makes sense for you, I get it.

What I learned

Aside from my body growing fibroids, I knew my body was changing but what I didn’t quite understand was the effect the change in hormones were having on me.  I started to take supplements for heavy periods but I have eventually come to realize that a healthy diet is key.  Eating the right foods so that my body got the nutrients it needed was huge to deal with fibroids irregular period problems.

Real ‘Supplements for Heavy Periods’

Our bodies need the proper nutrients and if we are feeding it junk food, things are going to go haywire.  Without the proper diet to keep our hormones in check we can get fibroids irregular periods.  We need leafy green vegetables like red or green leaf lettuce and spinach.  You can try kale or beet greens (beet greens are one of my faves, by the way!).

These greens offer the following nutrients our bodies need:

• Magnesium – helpful for bloating and sensitive breasts.  Plus, it helps increase the progesterone our bodies need, since we’re becoming estrogen dominant.  And, it can help with migraines – because migraines suck!
• Calcium – this can help our PMS symptoms (who knew!), depression, and tiredness.
• Iron – this is a no-brainer.  Anemia during period – duh!  You need more iron in your diet!
• Potassium – I struggle sometimes with getting enough potassium in my diet but I found that raisins and celery contain potassium so I specifically focus on this one.  I also try to drink real coconut water (no additives).
• Vitamins like A, C, E and K.  For example, Vitamin K supplements have been used for unusually heavy bleeding issues.

Another good food to eat to ensure you get your nutrients to help with your dysfunctional uterine bleeding is broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage.  Or, try broccoli sprouts.  They are so delicious and you can grow them at home.

A few other veggies to add to your diet to start to help fibroids irregular periods:

• Beets – I may be one of the weird ones out there, but I have always loved beets!
• Carrots – we’ve all been eating carrots since we were tots, so continue to do so.
• Acorn squash – so yummy roasted with some maple syrup.
• Sweet potatoes – and I don’t mean the one in a casserole with sugar and marshmallows!
• Beans – not really a veggie but wanted to throw it in here.

How about some fruit action:

• Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
• Peaches
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Cherries
• Pears

Conclusion

Fibroids irregular periods can cause dysfunctional uterine bleeding.  Learn the facts so you know what is the right decision for you.  Should you get surgery?  Should you make some changes to your diet?  You decide now that you have the right information.