Archive for Women's Health
Are Fibroid Tumors and Menopause Mutually Exclusive?
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Uterine Fibroids, Women's Health
What are fibroid tumors?
Fibroids are benign tumors that nearly 30% of women will experience at some point in their lives.
Many of these fibroids do not cause any symptoms at all while some women suffer from debilitating symptoms that can adversely affect personal and social lives.
Fibroid tumors are excessive growth in the muscle of the uterine wall. They are not cancerous and are not believed to be precancerous. In other words, they do not grow into a tumor that may spread to other parts of the body. In very rare cases, fibroids that begin to grow very rapidly can become cancerous.
Fibroids can be the size of a microscopic seed or exceed the size of a small basketball. It is easy to see why tiny tumors may not be detected during a routine examination nor produce any symptoms.
Unfortunately, because more and more women are delaying their childbearing until their late 30’s, fibroid tumors may affect fertility.
Current research
Researchers now understand that these fibroid tumors are dependent upon estrogen levels in the blood. In other words, estrogen hormone is required to be present in order for these tumors to continue to grow and expand.
Interestingly it turns out that fibroids and menopause have usually been mutually exclusive. This is because the levels of estrogen in the body fall dramatically during menopause and therefore no longer stimulate the growth of the fibroid tumors. This loss of hormonal stimulation usually leads to the demise of these tumor growths.
In many cases, these fibroid tumors begin to resolve or decrease as a woman enters menopause. Women who develop fibroids during menopause, or after menopause, are at greater risk for developing fibroids that are precancerous.
Although some researchers believe that 30% of women will experience fibroids in their lifetime others believe that this number is much higher because many women will not experience symptoms at all.
Scientists are still unsure of how and why fibroids grow. In some cases, fibroids have been found to grow after menopause. These growths have a higher potential of becoming cancerous.
Risk factors for developing fibroids
Researchers have also identified specific risk factors that increase the potential of a woman experiencing fibroids in her later years.
These risk factors appear to be more common among African Americans/Canadian women, suggesting that there may be a genetic link. Women who have close female relatives also have fibroids are more likely to develop fibroid tumors with resulting symptoms.
Women who develop fibroids, often have heavy menstrual bleeding that can result in anemia. They will also have feelings of heavy pressure in the lower abdomen, bladder problems, bowel problems and lower back pain.
Some women will experience constipation, bloating and pain during intercourse.
When the fibroids grow large, it is very possible to feel a hard spot in the center of the abdomen where the fibroids are positioned.
Everyday plastic bottles and containers may pose fibroid risks
Some researchers now believe that xenoestrogens, a molecule similar in structure to estrogen and commonly found in pesticides and plastics have affected the number of women who are suffering from fibroids.
In 1993, at Stanford University School of Medicine, Dave Feldman, professor of medicine was experimenting with a yeast estrogen protein that binds to estrogen. He and his team found that the polycarbonate bottles, commonly used to hold bottled drinking water contained bisphenol-A.
Bisphenol-A binds to the estrogen protein found in the yeast. This polycarbonate plastic is routinely used for the giant jugs used in shipping water.
The Stanford team found that 2-5 parts per billion of bisphenol-A was enough to cause the breast cancer cells to proliferate. Professor Feldman noted that though bisphenol-A is 2000X less potent than estrogen, “it still has activity in the parts per billion range.”
A Dartmouth University Study showed that plastic wrap heated in a microwave oven with vegetable oil had 500,000 times the minimum amount of xenoestrogens needed to stimulate breast cancer cells to grow in the test tube.
Menopause and fibroids have always been mutually exclusive because of the dependence of fibroids on the presence of estrogen. Unfortunately, because of the amount of estrogen, or xenoestrogens, that is available in everyday plastic containers to hold milk, meat, dairy products and water, some women continue to experience tumors long after menopause has come and gone.
Natural Remedies for Treating Uterine Fibroids
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Natural Remedies, Women's Health
Physicians have several pharmaceutical options that are short-term alternatives in order to shrink fibroids before a more permanent surgical solution. These permanent solutions are usually endometrial ablation, uterine artery or uterine fibroids embolization, laser treatment and hysterectomy. However, most of these options do not retain the fertility for the woman or they cost a permanent loss of the uterus.
Some women are more interested in beginning with natural remedies to treat their fibroids which may help to decrease the size of the tumors and reduce the symptoms. Most often these symptoms will reduce completely as a woman enters menopause and her natural blood levels of estrogen drop. During this period in time the size of the fibroids also decreases significantly. Most natural remedies for fibroids may decrease the symptoms but they do not usually get rid of the tumors.
The least invasive type of treatment is called watchful waiting. When the tumor is causing no symptoms and they do not grow quickly physicians usually advise the patient to have a physical examination every six to 12 months to measure the growth of the tumors. Physicians also look at physical examination and medical history during these intervals in order to determine whether or treatment protocols should be advanced. If a woman experiences abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding and resulting anemia several dietary and supplemental changes can be recommended to increase the levels of iron and help the body maintain blood levels.
Dietary supplements of iron include spinach, beans, peas, dried fruits, nuts, organ meats and fish. Unfortunately the iron in meat can be poorly absorbed and also caused growth of the fibroids because of the growth hormones fed to the animals before slaughter. These growth hormones are very similar in molecular structure to estrogen, which stimulates the growth of fibroids. For this reason it is better to increase the dietary supplementation of whole fruits and vegetables to increase iron than it is to increase the amount of meat eaten.
Vitamin C can also help to increase the absorption of iron which will help to decrease the problem with anemia. Regular vitamin C does not appear to have a significant effect on iron stores. Interestingly, nutritionists have found that one orange or 6 ounces of orange juice can double the amount of iron the body absorbs from plant sources.
Another dietary supplement that helps the body to produce more hemoglobin and reduce the incidence of anemia is B12 and folate. B12 and folate are both added to dried commercial cereals and bread products and can also be found in the avocados, bananas, orange juice and green leafy vegetables.
Prevention is the best medicine. By avoiding meat that has been injected with growth hormone, most plastic storage containers and pesticides which contain xenoestrogens women can reduce the rate of growth of the fibroid tumors. Many women who have eliminated or significantly reduced the amount of meat in their diet have found relief from their symptoms as the extra estrogen no longer stimulates the growth of the tumors.
Other women have found relief from pelvic pain and heaviness using acupuncture and yoga. Each of these alternatives does not offer relief from heavy menstrual periods but it does help with the physical discomfort associated with large fibroids. Others also find relief using black cohosh which has some significant research behind it showing improvements with hot flashes. Although these remedies offer relief in the feelings of pelvic heaviness they do little to stem the heavy monthly menstrual flow and do not cure the fibroids.
What Are Fibroids (fibromyomas, leiomyomas or myomas)?
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Uterine Fibroids, Women's Health
What are fibroids? Between 20 and 75% of all women will experience the effects of fibroids in their lifetime. Although many women understand the symptoms they don’t know the origin of this condition. Fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumors that have fiber is connections. They happen in the uterine wall muscle and can range in size from a microscopic seed to the size of small basketball. As you might imagine the larger these fibroids grow the more they will affect a woman’s body and have significant changes in her overall health.
The medical term for uterine fibroids is a leiomyomata (lie-oh-my-oh-mah-tah). Fibroids can grow as a single growth or can occur in groups within the uterus. As they grow larger and heavier the symptoms they incur are also larger. Women will have feelings of heaviness in the pelvic region as well as urinary urgency and frequency because of the size and weight of the uterus on the bladder. Larger fibroids can also cause constipation and pelvic pain as well as increasing amounts of monthly menstrual bleeding leading to anemia.
At this time researchers are not able to pinpoint a conclusive or definitive reason why fibroids grow in who gets them. But they do know there are significant risk factors for some women to get fibroid tumors. Fibroids are more common in women who are in their 30s and 40s, who are African-American or African Canadian and who have women in their own families who have suffered from fibroid tissue.
Women who are obese have a slightly higher risk for developing fibroids while women who have given birth are at a lower risk than women who have never had children. Researchers also know that fibroid growth and maintenance is dependent upon the presence of the hormone estrogen.
Doctors classify the type of fibroid a woman is experiencing based upon the location of the fibroid within the uterus. These tumors can grow underneath the lining of the uterus, on the inside of the cavity, between the muscles or on the outside of the uterus. The most common fibroids are those that are present within the wall of the uterus and not within the cavity or on the outside.
Fibroids continue to increase in number of those diagnosed as the years progressed. We do know that they decrease in size and may disappear during perimenopause and menopause. We also know that a woman has one fibroid they usually have another.
Thankfully fibroid tumors are not cancers and they are not pre-cancerous. They are totally benign overgrowth that occur in the uterus and uterine wall. They do affect the health and daily lives of many women and can be very frustrating to live with. Many women who have fibroids also do not have symptoms and the tumors may be picked up during the regular pelvic examination. Because they are benign tumors most doctors made no recommendation for treatment unless the woman begins to suffer symptoms.
One of the most significant symptoms a woman experiences its heavy menstrual bleeding each month. The bleeding often includes large clots and lasts beyond the usual five to seven days. This heavy amount of bleeding that lasts for longer periods of time has a secondary side effect, anemia. This results in fatigue, shortness of breath and a low blood counts that places the individual at higher risk for illness, infection and in the long-term, cardiac side effects.
Anemia affects the daily living abilities of any woman who suffers from it. She will struggle to do daily activities, climb stairs or exercise and the condition will affect the long term ability of the hear to pump adequately and effectively.
Anemia decreases the ability of the cells to gain the oxygen they need to survive. Because the heart is responsible for pumping the blood and the blood doesn’t have enough oxygen the heart must work harder to pump more. This increased workload on the muscle that also requires oxygen can cause long-term problems if the anemia isn’t addressed and the blood counts brought back to normal range.
Addressing the fibroids will ultimately cure the anemia but in the meantime women can eat a diet higher in iron, take iron supplementation and decrease their activity level to decrease the workload on the heart.
Do Women and Men Need Different Nutritional Supplements?
Posted by: · Commentsin Categories : Diet & Nutrition, Men's Health, Women's Health
Do men and women really require different nutrition? Can’t they both take the same vitamin supplements and be done with it?
And the answer is — as much as women and men like to believe that there are very little differences between the genders, this is actually not true when it comes nutrition and vitamins. Let’s take a look at some of the differences in the vitamin and mineral requirements of both men and women to accurately determine why supplementation must be different.
Vitamin A is a key nutrient that our bodies cannot produce naturally. Therefore we must obtain it from diets and supplements. It is not only helps to prevent vision problems, but also promotes a healthy immune system. It is essential for the growth and development of cells and will keep skin cells healthy, one reason why it is such a popular topical factor in skin care regimens. Good sources are milk, eggs, darkly colored vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes and orange fruits such as cantaloupe and apricots. Men require of 900 mcg of vitamin A each day and women need only 700 mcg. It is very possible to get too much vitamin A which will result in toxicity and significant side effects.
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, helps turn food into energy in the body. It will maintain healthy skin and it is important for nerve function. Niacin is found in red meat, poultry, fish and fortified hot and cold cereals. Because of the different muscle mass between men and women the average man require 16 mg of niacin a day and the average woman needs 14 mg a day in order to provide overall optimal health.
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is needed to form collagen, which is the tissue that holds the cells together. It is essential for healthy bones, teeth and gums and helps the body to absorbs iron and calcium as well as aiding in wound healing. There are high levels of vitamin C in red berries, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach. The requirements for non-smokers are different than those who smoke because of the action of tobacco on the body and the destruction of vitamin C. Non-smoking men need 90 mg and women need 75 mg, while smoking men need 125 mg and smoking women need 110 mg.
Many of the differences in the vitamins required by both men and women are related to body mass size, muscle mass and hormonal balances. The body uses vitamins and minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and enzymes to support the balance of hormones necessary for good health. Women require a different balance of vitamins and minerals in order to support their female hormones and reproductive system than do men.
Let’s take a look at some of these:
Iron is another mineral which would be dangerous to nonmenstruating women and men. Only menstruating women should take an iron supplement because of the blood loss they experience every month. Otherwise, the body stores the iron and it can reach toxic levels very easily.
Calcium is another requirement which differs between men and women because osteoporosis affects a larger percentage of older women than it does men.
Calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K and phosphorus all work together to build strong bone density and the greater amounts of bone which is laid down in the early teens and 20s the less risk woman face for osteoporosis as she grows older.
Interestingly, while scientists and researchers do understands that nutritional guidelines for men and women are different most products in the vitamin and supplement industry are not guided by guidelines. And currently there are no studies which show that gender specific vitamins have any particular health benefits because they would be very difficult and costly to undertake.
Some of these nutritional differences, such as the requirement for calcium and iron, are significantly different between the genders and must be addressed while other vitamins, such as vitamin A. or vitamin C, have minimal differences and don’t require a different vitamins.
Other nutritional differences between men and women fall under category of products which are not vitamins and minerals such as protein and fiber. Men require more protein than women do simply because of the difference in muscle mass and because excess protein will accelerate calcium loss in the urine. Interestingly, men also require more fiber than women because requirements are calculated based on how much protection and they offer against heart disease. Since men in general require more calories they also need more fiber.
So the bottom line is that a good multivitamin without iron can be used for both the men and postmenopausal women, while premenopausal women require a higher iron intake in order to decrease their risk of developing anemia. Women who are entering menopause in their latter years may also find it necessary to increase their iron intake based on their amounts of menstrual flow and blood loss.
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