the new embarassing question thread

[Irulan]

eerrrr... break through bleeding and fibroids, anyone? It's been determined that I have about a 1 cm fibroid. For the last few seasons I've had bleeding spefically on longer rides. I'm pretty convinced the two are related. At least I carry "supplies" with me at all times but sheesh... what a pain. I do get occasional spotting at other times, but it's biking when I will start to flow out of the blue.

anyone?

Irulan.

[trekchic]

3 years ago, I had a partial hysterectomy for the same condition. For 6 months, my doctor tried to avoid it, but birth control pills didn't keep me from bleeding constantly. So, I had no other choice but hysterectomy. I had multiple fibroids in the uterus, though.

Good news: now they have a new proceedure called "Hysterectomy Alternative". They don't remove any organs, just calderize the uterus and close the cervix. Has the same effect.......no more periods, no more pregnancy, too, though. Ask your doctor.

If you're just having break thru bleeding, try changing to a very strong bcp for a couple of months.

Hope this helps!

Kim in TN

[Dogmama]

Typical doctors. Treat the symptom with bcp's and ignore the cause. Estrogen and progesterone cause fibroids to grow. Post menopausal women do not get fibroids. But doc's will rx bcp's because it normalizes a woman's periods. And the fibroid is having great fun growing like crazy off of these increased hormones!

There is a drug that puts you into temporary menopause that makes fibroids shrink, but unfortunately you also get hot flashes.

I have fibroids and have never had spotting whilst riding - but I'm a roadie and you're an mtb'er.

I would look at soy because it normalizes estrogen levels - but don't go overboard because soy interferes with zinc absorption. Avoid dong quai because that makes bleeding worse. Black cohosh is also a possibility that might help normalize your estrogen levels.

None of the above are overnight fixes. They can take up to three months to work.

[Irulan]

you'd be hard pressed to get me to take the pill, I never have, and our family has been sterilized for 12 years.

Soy eh? what form... eat more or what? That sound more like a route I would take.

Irulan

[Dogmama]

Soy milk or a shake made with tofu would be your best bet. In moderation, though, because as I said, it does inhibit zinc absorption. I like to take soy milk and mix it with protein powder and flaxseed oil. You have to blend it very well. It's a good post-ride shake because the soy milk (if it's sweetened) will give you simple carbs, the soy and flax seed oil takes care of your hormonal balance and the protein powder helps muscle recovery. Silk soymilk (in the refrigerator section) is the best I've found.

[MightyMitre]

Sorry for being a bit dumb here but Dogmama mentioned about soy normalizing estrogen levels. What are the benefits of that? In other words, what are the sysmptoms on 'non normal' estrogen levels?

Also, not entirely sure was estrogen and progesterone do? Can anyone remind me as it migh be useful.

( Call myself a woman - when I don't even know the hormonal basics ;) )

[Dogmama]

Normalizing estrogen levels means that if you have too much estrogen or too little estrogen, soy will help normalize it (by opening or closing estrogen receptors). Skipping your periods (if you are not perimenopausal) is an indication that you may be low on estrogen, possibly from a strenuous exercise routine that depleted your body of fat (necessary for estrogen production). You may also suffer from hot flashes, night sweats, fuzzy thinking, mood swings,dry skin and other irritating conditions. Some researchers say those are caused by estrogen dominance, others say those are caused by low estrogen. Measuring estrogen and progesterone is imprecise at best because your levels can fluctuate several times in a day.

It was thought that soy helped with hot flashes because Oriental women do not have a word in their vocabulary for hot flash and they consume a lot of soy. Obviously, there are probably other factors, but soy has been shown to be of benefit in some studies. Other studies show no benefit. A lot depends on who is being studied, what type of soy they've used, yada yada yada.

So, it can't hurt, might help. Everything in moderation, though.