Rapidly Growing fibroids

[Guest guest]

Hello:

Sounds like you are being put thru the wringer with your " rapidly growing "

fibroids! I really feel for you! And I'm with Carla! Hang in there and make

them do some type of test to see if you've got cancer BEFORE you consent to

hysterectomy! No one should have to go thru unnecessary surgery no matter

what their age!

I too am 51 and I just found out that I have very large fibroids and I still

have no signs of menopause either. The GYNs I have seen so far are trying to

push hysterectomy. They haven't even considered the possibility that I might

want to keep my organs, despite my advanced age. They also didn't count on me

being more terrified of surgery than living with my condition!

Anyway, I have been talking to a doctor in Little Rock who is very interested

in performing UAE on me. However, he wants me to get a D & C done in order to

rule out the possibility that my fibroids might be cancerous. I guess cancer

is a possibility in women our age and the fact that I have never had children

also adds to the risk. Of course, I am all for getting a clean bill of health

as far as cancer goes and it will give me one more piece of information to

help me make the right decision.

Do yourself a favor, make them do some type of biopsy! The GYNs I dealt with

before I started talking to the doctor in Little Rock didn't want to do a

biopsy on me either. They said they would do it once they did the

hysterectomy. Who cares then? It's already too late to save your uterus!

Hang in there!

Liz

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I agree completely with Carla. I had 4 gyne's tell me, too, that I had

" rapidly growing fibroids " . My female gyne did an endometrial biopsy,

so right away, I knew it wasn't cancerous and then had the ability to

consult with other Gynecologists for a minimally invasive procedure.

A page of statements, such as, " you have rapidly growing fibroids " could

probably be formulated by women or have been in some book. These

statements, appear to me, to be barely masked marketing strategies,

designed to schedule that hysterectomy, ASAP! (before she gets another

consult, finds out other alternatives or worse, arranges for a hysterectomy

with the competition!)

Over 250,000 women who present with symptomatic non-cancerous fibroids

are hysterectomized annually in this country. Those statistics should change

as ethical gynecologists provide a continum of care options from the least

invasive

procedures to the very last option, a hysterectomy.

Women can be vulnerable as medical health consumers. " Caveat Emptor "

...especially, in the U.S.

Cheers! Marsha V. Weaver

[Guest guest]

Hi - I definitely had the symptoms of rapidly growing fibroids, and had a

UAE in March which has resulted in significant decrease of the fibroid size

as well as the associated symptoms. I'm also 51. None of the diagnostic

tests showed anything else going on besides the fibroids, so who knows what

was making them grow so fast.

Good luck -

Chris

At 03:33 PM 9/21/99 -0700, you wrote:

>Just got back from the gyn. Says my fibroids are rapidly growing which

>is not a good sign. I'm leaning heavily towards hyst since I fear

>there is more going on due to the rapid growth. Asked if rapid growth

>could be caused by fluctuation of hormones due to perimenopause (I'm

>51). Was told not likely. If anything the fibroids should stay the

>same size or decrease. Not grow rapidly. Did anyone else have any

>symptoms of rapidly growing fibroids?

>

>

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[Guest guest]

>Just got back from the gyn. Says my fibroids are rapidly growing which

>is not a good sign. I'm leaning heavily towards hyst since I fear

>there is more going on due to the rapid growth. Asked if rapid growth

>could be caused by fluctuation of hormones due to perimenopause (I'm

>51). Was told not likely. If anything the fibroids should stay the

>same size or decrease. Not grow rapidly. Did anyone else have any

>symptoms of rapidly growing fibroids?

Every single gyn that recommended hysterectomy to me told me my fibroids

were " growing rapidly " . 14 gyns all said the same thing and then wanted to

schedule the hysterectomy within 2 weeks. Did your doctor define " rapidly

growing fibroids " for you in terms of how much they've grown within a

certain period of time? If so, would you mind sharing how much they have

grown and over what period of time?

It kind of sounds like the old " cancer " scare to me. Less than .5% of

fibroids are actually cancerous and a biopsy can be done from the core of

the fibroids to determine whether or not cancer is truly present. Did your

doctor suggest any kind of biopsy to make a determination before doing a

hysterectomy? Or, perhaps a myomectomy where the fibroids could be sent to

the lab for definitive determination -- no need to take the uterus to get

rid of cancerous fibroid tumors -- provided they truly are cancerous.

BTW, my fibroids did get big. Very big. But I did have biopsies and there

was no cancer. Not even after 14 years and 14 doctors telling me how

rapidly they were growing.

Carla Dionne

mailto:cdionne@...

http://www.uterinefibroids.com

member, /list/uterinefibroids

[Guest guest]

>Ultrasound showed uterus at 2.5 months one month ago. Had ultrasound

>last week (exactly one month after previous one). Gyn says one side is

>showing 14 week size and the other side of uterus is 8 weeks. Cannot

>feel ovaries. Did AMAS blood test today. Did not think UAE was of any

>use because there may be more going on than fibroids. Did not mention

>anything about biopsy. Said only way to determine if any cancer is

>present is by pathology report after hyst. Said there is no reason why

>fibroids would grow, especially rapidly, at this time. I'm 51; no

>symptoms of menopause but estrogen levels should be decreasing.

>

A size of 2.5 months vs 14 wk x 8 wk is a hard comparison to make. Wasn't

the uterus measured in centimeters with more numbers showing on the report

than that?

Also, what prompted you to return for a second ultrasound so soon?

When will you get the results of the AMAS test?

As for your age, menopause, and decreasing levels of estrogen -- well, 51 is

only the " average " age of onset for menopause. My own mother didn't go

through menopause until she hit her 60's. There is no set age for when this

will occur for everyone.

It certainly sounds as if you are experiencing a most frightening set of

circumstances and must be in complete limbo over what to do. Hang in there

and breathe deeply. After all the test results are in, sit down and have a

long discussion with your doctor over what it all means. Get the details --

right down to the volume measurement of your fibroids a month ago vs. the

recent ultrasound. Then, before consenting to any surgery, get a second

opinion. My heart goes out to you as I know all too well how frightening

this process can be.

Myomectomy probably wasn't suggested because of your age. Therefore, there

would be no need to do a biopsy since the recommendation for your fibroids

would be a hysterectomy anyway. Your age, however, should not be the

determining factor here. If you want to know whether or not the fibroids

are cancerous BEFORE you consent to hysterectomy, you should ask about a

biopsy. At least bring it up. It might save you the unnecessary loss of

your uterus. You won't know unless you ask, however.

Best wishes,

Carla

[Guest guest]

>The results of AMAS test will be in Thurs. or Friday. I requested

>another ultrasound. This is the 2nd gyn I've seen. The first had the

>same recommendation and refered me to this doctor because he is a

>surgeon and she is not. I did not actually see the report from last

>week's ultrasound so I don't know the actual size in cm. I do have

>copies of reports from last month's and last year's ultrasound. There

>was an increase in size between these two. UAE is not an option, I am

>told, because the fibroids may not be my only problem.

Your first gyn doesn't do surgery? Of any kind whatsoever?

Did you consider calling any of the IRs names that were sent to you and

requesting a referral to a gyn that perhaps one of them works with? It

might be worth the effort for a second SURGICAL gyn opinion. Preferably

with a gyn with an open mind about uterine artery embolization.

rumarr-- you need to go with your heart and mind and physical condition as

only YOU KNOW IT TO BE in looking at and considering your doctor's

recommendations. None of the members on this list are you -- nor do we have

the exact same condition or situation as you -- nor are the majority of us

doctors. Your decision truly needs to be handled between yourself and a

medical professional of your choosing. Many of us have offered suggestions

and information to consider and at least one doctor sent a list of

interventional radiologists in your area to consider. I know it's hard.

Very hard. But ultimately you are the only one who can decide what to do

next.

To answer one of your previous questions as simply as possible --

hysteroscopical myomectomy is where submucosal fibroids -- those that are on

the inside of the uterus in the endometrium -- are removed vaginally with

the use of a hysteroscope. Not all myomectomies these days are done through

abdominal surgery. (I do remember you stated that you had a myomectomy 16

years ago during the chat last Monday.) If the fibroids are small enough,

they can be removed vaginally with the assistance of a hysteroscope

(submucosal fibroids) or abdominally with the insertion of equipment through

the navel (very tiny entrance opening) or abdomen with a laparoscope

(subserosal fibroids). Large fibroids can't be removed with either of these

techniques and the more traditional abdominal myomectomy is usually used for

larger fibroids. So, for example, if your excessive bleeding is due to

submucosal fibroids, hysteroscopical myomectomy (like that is about to

undergo) MAY be an option depending on the results of your tests and the

size/location of your fibroids. But, only you and your doctor can really

discuss the facts to determine what your true options are based on all of

the details of your case.

Wishing you the best -- keep asking the questions to gather more information

but try to remember that we are not YOUR DOCTOR and only you can make those

final decisions regarding your medical care.

Carla

[Guest guest]

If your gyns are suspicious that these may be an indication of cancer, I

may ask for a referal to a gynecological oncologist - yes, they are out there.

If you truly have a fear of cancer, it may be the way to go.

I am only 36, but I was told I had an " unusual " fibroid. I was given the

CS125 (I think) for ovarian cancer as well as a pregnancy test (to see what

my hormone levels were). I had also recently had a thyroid and blood test.

These all proved well within normal. Then my gyn suggested an MRI because

they were having difficulty visualizing my endometrium. By this point they

were leaning more to the mass being just a fibroid that seemed to have

appeared out of nowhere.

While we discussed a number of options many at my prompting, she had

consulted initially with a gyn oncologist. I kept an appointment with him

even after I had was fairly sure it was not cancer. He was very upfront

with the chances of it being cancerous, etc.

I, in the end, opted for a UAE which so far has worked wonderfully.

But I sympathize with what feels like scare tactics. Please take a deep

breath, cry a little and then demand some straight answers such as why they

think it is something unusual, has this gyn ever seen a cancerous fibroid,

etc.

Good luck

[Guest guest]

Hi, I'm 48 and at age 47 was told my fibroids, which I'd known about for 17

years, had begun to grow rapidly. My GYN told me this was most likely due to

changing hormonal levels as I get closer to menopause. When I did some research

on this, I found out that as a woman gets closer to menopause, her progesterone

levels drop, usually before the estrogen levels also begin dropping.

Progesterone acts as a sort of brake on estrogen. Estrogen feeds fibroids. So

as the progesterone level drops, the fibroids are receiving a month-long diet of

estrogen, which causes the " rapid growth " of fibroids seen in women in the

perimenopausal years (where you are I both are now). She did want me to have an

endometrial biopsy to rule out anything else going on that might be causing the

fibroids to grow so rapidly. I did this, and it was normal. She had strongly

recommended hysterectomy for the usual reason, " At your age, you don't need your

uterus any more " . Well, my feeling is that if women were meant to lose their

uteri and ovaries at menopause, they would shrivel up and fall out. Since we

know that doesn't happen, I have to believe that Mother Nature has a purpose for

them being there, even if it's no longer to have children and produce the

hormones of the reproductive years. I had a UAE slightly over a year ago and

have been very pleased with the results. What ever your decision, rumarr, best

of luck to you. Those 4 months between when my GYN recommended hysterectomy to

me and when I had the UAE were some of the most stressful of my life. But I'm

glad I took the time to do my homework. Leonie

rumarr@... on 09/21/99 06:33:31 PM

Please respond to uterinefibroidsegroups

To: uterinefibroidseGroups

cc: (bcc: Leonie J Finkel/New York/WSP & R)

Subject: rapidly growing fibroids

Just got back from the gyn. Says my fibroids are rapidly growing which

is not a good sign. I'm leaning heavily towards hyst since I fear

there is more going on due to the rapid growth. Asked if rapid growth

could be caused by fluctuation of hormones due to perimenopause (I'm

51). Was told not likely. If anything the fibroids should stay the

same size or decrease. Not grow rapidly. Did anyone else have any

symptoms of rapidly growing fibroids?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

HealthCentral.com is a complete resource for online health, nutrition

and fitness information. Come visit our team of health leaders to

discover and keep great health! http://clickhere./click/946

eGroups.com home: /group/uterinefibroids

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[Guest guest]

finkel-@... wrote:

original article:/group/uterinefibroids/?start=942

> Hi, I'm 48 and at age 47 was told my fibroids, which I'd known about

for 17

> years, had begun to grow rapidly. My GYN told me this was most

likely due to

> changing hormonal levels as I get closer to menopause. When I did

some research

> on this, I found out that as a woman gets closer to menopause, her

progesterone

> levels drop, usually before the estrogen levels also begin dropping.

> Progesterone acts as a sort of brake on estrogen. Estrogen feeds

fibroids. So

> as the progesterone level drops, the fibroids are receiving a

month-long diet of

> estrogen, which causes the " rapid growth " of fibroids seen in women

in the

> perimenopausal years (where you are I both are now). She did want me

to have an

> endometrial biopsy to rule out anything else going on that might be

causing the

> fibroids to grow so rapidly. I did this, and it was normal. She had

strongly

> recommended hysterectomy for the usual reason, " At your age, you

don't need your

> uterus any more " . Well, my feeling is that if women were meant to

lose their

> uteri and ovaries at menopause, they would shrivel up and fall out.

Since we

> know that doesn't happen, I have to believe that Mother Nature has a

purpose for

> them being there, even if it's no longer to have children and produce

the

> hormones of the reproductive years. I had a UAE slightly over a year

ago and

> have been very pleased with the results. What ever your decision,

rumarr, best

> of luck to you. Those 4 months between when my GYN recommended

hysterectomy to

> me and when I had the UAE were some of the most stressful of my life.

But I'm

> glad I took the time to do my homework. Leonie

>

>

>

>

> rumarr@... on 09/21/99 06:33:31 PM

>

> Please respond to uterinefibroidsegroups

>

> To: uterinefibroidseGroups

> cc: (bcc: Leonie J Finkel/New York/WSP & R)

> Subject: rapidly growing fibroids

>

>

>

>

> Just got back from the gyn. Says my fibroids are rapidly growing

which

> is not a good sign. I'm leaning heavily towards hyst since I fear

> there is more going on due to the rapid growth. Asked if rapid growth

> could be caused by fluctuation of hormones due to perimenopause (I'm

> 51). Was told not likely. If anything the fibroids should stay the

> same size or decrease. Not grow rapidly. Did anyone else have any

> symptoms of rapidly growing fibroids?

>

> I asked my doctor if rapid growth could be caused by hormonal

fluctuations as it was my understanding that yes it could be. However,

he said " no " , I would not be producing enouth estrogen at this time,

for an increase in size.

[Guest guest]

I'll weigh in on this one too. My fibroids have had short growth

spurts. From some of my research I've learned that they do this. Does

anyone know of someone who had a cancerous fibroid? Does a cancerous

fibroid always grow faster than a non cancerous one just because it's

" cancer " ? What type of cancer most often is in a fibroid? A fast

growing body eating monster or a rather slow growing easily treated

one? Where's the data on this?

Tish

[Guest guest]

I cried last year when I was told about my " rapidly growing fibroids " ...

and that I " had to have a hyst " in 2 months or risk losing my life.

That was

a year ago and I'm still here without having hyst. I did however start

doing

my homework and realized the decision of what to do was mine...and no

one

elses. Read, learn, ask questions...take your time. Make the decision

yours.

I'm still in the process of deciding and I'm on my 3rd gyn. I'll keep

you posted.

Question: I wonder if we were talking about castrating a man instead

of a woman....

would doctors jump so quickly to remove reproductive organs of a 36 or

even a 51 year old

man without a confirmed diagnosis of cancer?

Would a man refuse on the spot to consider it? If so, why don't women

do the

same?

LL

[Guest guest]

I cried last year when I was told about my " rapidly growing fibroids " ...

and that I " had to have a hyst " in 2 months or risk losing my life.

That was

a year ago and I'm still here without having hyst. I did however start

doing

my homework and realized the decision of what to do was mine...and no

one

elses. Read, learn, ask questions...take your time. Make the decision

yours.

I'm still in the process of deciding and I'm on my 3rd gyn. I'll keep

you posted.

Question: I wonder if we were talking about castrating a man instead

of a woman....

would doctors jump so quickly to remove reproductive organs of a 36 or

even a 51 year old

man without a confirmed diagnosis of cancer?

Would a man refuse on the spot to consider it? If so, why don't women

do the

same?

LL

[Guest guest]

>I keep seeing posts talking about cancerous fibroids. But everything I

read

>says that fibroids are noncancerous tumors (cancer being such a small

>percentage that it hardly ever happens). What's up with that?

We've been discussing cancerous fibroids because someone on the list was

told she had " rapidly growing fibroids " -- possibly indicative of cancer.

It's an age old line that is fairly commonly doled out by gyns and rarely,

IF EVER, accompanied with statistics. Less that .5% are cancerous. It's

rare -- not as common as most gyns imply or try to make you believe in the

hopes that you will easily sign up for a hysterectomy.

You're absolutely correct in stating that cancer is such a small percentage

that it hardly ever happens. But each new person that hears the " cancer "

line from a gyn doesn't know that statistic and is oftentimes immediately

thrown into a state of panic and fear. (Including me -- eons ago.) My

guess is this is how an awful lot of hysterectomies are performed each year.

But the gyns will deny it till the cows come home. What I'd like to know is

how come they're so quick to share the potential cancer info that gets you

INTO the surgery but slow on the uptake -- or pleading complete ignorance --

on the hysterectomy side effects info?

Anyone out there have the 1) cancer scare, 2) recommendation for

hysterectomy, AND 3) the potential side effects/complications of the

hysterectomy discussed all in one sitting with a gyn WITHOUT your prompting

or pushing them to disclose the information?

I always got the first 2 items but never the last. Just curious to see if

anyone else got the whole story in one sitting.

Carla Dionne

mailto:cdionne@...

http://www.uterinefibroids.com

member, /list/uterinefibroids