When (and Why) to Consider Hormone Therapy for Fibroids

Fibroids are clusters of muscle cells that form tumors in or on your uterus. Fibroids come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but when they get big enough they can impact your menstruation, your comfort, and even your fertility. 

By some estimates, up to 80% of women develop fibroids before the age of 50. They’re usually diagnosed when you’re in your 30s or 40s. Common symptoms of fibroids include:

• Frequent urination
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Problems with fertility
• Pressure on bladder
• Pressure or pain in pelvis
• Pressure in rectum

Large fibroids can even distend your uterus. When your fibroids grow large enough, you may appear pregnant. Ironically, you may have difficulty becoming pregnant when your fibroids are extremely large.

Although the exact reasons why some women develop fibroids while others don’t aren’t certain, it’s well known that fibroids respond to hormones. In fact, the cells in fibroids have more receptors for estrogen and progesterone than normal uterine muscle cells do.

At Modern Wellness Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada, our team of expert providers believe in taking a holistic approach to women’s health care, including fibroids. If your fibroids cause you discomfort or interfere with your reproductive health, we may recommend low-dose bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) with: 

• Testosterone
• Progesterone
• Estrogen
• Cortisol
• DHEA
• Thyroid

We customize the types of hormones and the doses based on your individual needs. Would you benefit from BHRT to shrink your fibroids? Here’s why you may:

You want to stop excessive bleeding

During your cycle, the endometrial lining in your uterus becomes engorged with blood and nutrients in preparation for a possible baby. Fibroids increase the overall mass in your uterus, which therefore increases the volume of your endometrial lining.

When your lining sheds, there’s more of it with fibroids than without fibroids. You bleed more heavily and may also pass large blood clots. Heavy bleeding can cause you to change your tampon and pads every hour or two. It may even cause you to awaken multiple times a night to change your protection.

A course of hormone therapy shrinks your fibroids to give you relief from excessive bleeding. You may especially benefit from hormone therapy if you’re at risk for anemia from heavy bleeding. 

You’re planning to remove fibroids surgically

One of the benefits for BHRT for fibroids is that the hormones shrink the size of your fibroids. If you’re already planning to remove your fibroids — because you want to increase your comfort, fertility, or both — we may recommend BHRT.

When your fibroids are smaller, they’re easier to remove. Instead of undergoing invasive traditional open surgery or even laparoscopic surgery, you may be able to undergo a less invasive type of surgery that removes fibroids by going through your vagina and cervix.

You’re nearing menopause

Long-term hormone therapy isn’t recommended when you’re in the prime of your reproductive years, unless you don’t want to become pregnant. Hormone therapy may even put you into an artificial menopause in order to drastically shrink your hormones.

However, if you’re already moving into perimenopause or menopause, you could benefit from hormones that shrink your fibroids. After menopause, your fibroids get smaller or disappear on their own, because they’re not stimulated by excess estrogen. Customized hormone therapy simply moves up the timeline so you can be comfortable even before menopause.

Fibroids don’t need to interfere with your quality of life or with your dreams of a family. If you’d like relief from fibroids with all-natural, hormone therapy, contact our office today. Call our helpful staff at 702-463-9159 or use our online booking form.