Uterine fibroids are one of the most common benign tumors in the female reproductive system, commonly found in women aged 30-50. According to statistics, at least 20% of women of childbearing age have uterine fibroids. In fact, because many patients with uterine fibroids have no obvious symptoms, the true incidence rate of fibroids is much higher than these data, and more and more young unmarried girls also suffer from fibroids.
If the uterus is a room, "fibroids" are like small stones growing on the uterine wall. They can cause the originally smooth uterine wall to lose elasticity and contraction function, thereby affecting menstruation, and even causing the circulation of qi and blood in the organs of the whole body. After the removal of uterine fibroids in some women, they always recur, causing irreversible effects on the body. Therefore, when it comes to uterine fibroids, it is necessary to understand the root cause and effectively solve it!
1、 The understanding of uterine fibroids in traditional Chinese and Western medicine
From the perspective of Western medicine, uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumor in the female reproductive organs. Due to the fact that uterine fibroids are mainly formed by the proliferation of uterine smooth muscle cells, with a small amount of fibrous connective tissue existing as a supporting tissue, they are more accurately called uterine leiomyomas, abbreviated as uterine fibroids. The exact cause of uterine fibroids is not yet unified. The only thing that can be clarified is that it is a hormone dependent disease, and estrogen can cause the proliferation and hypertrophy of uterine fibroid cells, leading to the enlargement of fibroids; Progesterone can also stimulate nuclear division in uterine fibroids and promote fibroid growth. Women with imbalanced levels of estrogen and progesterone are often more prone to developing uterine fibroids. There are many factors that can cause abnormal female sex hormones, such as early menarche, ovarian tumors, pituitary tumors, etc. Modern women in the workplace face high work pressure, with staying up late, sitting for long periods of time, and irregular diet all becoming accomplices to abnormal secretion of estrogen and progesterone.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, uterine fibroids are equivalent to the category of "targeted diseases" in traditional Chinese medicine. The main cause of their onset is due to the deficiency of the body's righteous qi. When pathogenic factors such as wind, cold, dampness, and heat invade, or when mental and emotional factors, or when sexual labor is excessive, or when diet is not reasonable, it leads to dysfunction of the organs, resulting in stagnation of qi and blood, stagnation of phlegm and dampness, obstruction of dampness and heat, kidney deficiency and blood stasis, etc., which accumulate in the uterus and gradually form lumps over time. In short, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the human body is like a complex factory, and uterine fibroids are the "defective products" produced by the existence of things that should not have been present in this factory or problems in the production process; Or there may be a malfunction in the excretion channel, leading to the accumulation of "garbage".
The high-risk population for uterine fibroids
Uterine fibroids are increasingly favored by middle-aged women in their thirties and forties, especially those who have not given birth, have sexual dysfunction, and are depressed.
Category 1: Women who have not given birth enter menopause prematurely.
The number of primordial follicles in a woman's lifetime is limited, and the ovulation period is about 30 years. During pregnancy and lactation, due to hormonal effects, the ovaries pause ovulation until the 4th to 6th month of lactation, which delays ovulation by a certain amount. Women with a history of childbirth enter menopause later. Authoritative research shows that having a complete pregnancy process in a woman's lifetime can increase her immunity for 10 years, and this 10-year immunity mainly targets gynecological tumors
Category 2: Sexual dysfunction affecting uterine health.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that women are individuals who are in love with each other. If there is disharmony between husband and wife, it will inevitably harm the seven emotions. If there is internal damage to the seven emotions, the qi mechanism will not be smooth, the qi and blood will be imbalanced, and qi stagnation and blood stasis will accumulate for a long time. This can be referred to as "targeted illness".
It can be seen that normal sexual stimulation between couples can promote the normal functioning of neuroendocrine system, leading to the normal secretion of hormones in the human body. However, long-term sexual dysfunction can easily cause hormonal imbalances, leading to chronic congestion in the pelvic cavity and inducing uterine fibroids.
Category 3: Depressed women with multiple uterine fibroids.
Middle aged women face dual mental pressures from work and family, which can easily lead to depression. With the arrival of menopause, women begin to experience an "estrogen control period". During this period, women's own depressive emotions can easily lead to an increase in estrogen secretion and strengthen its effects, sometimes lasting for several months or even years, which is also an important cause of uterine fibroids.
The treatment of uterine fibroids
Currently, the mainstream treatment method in Western medicine is surgical treatment, including myomectomy, hysterectomy, and endometrial resection. However, surgical removal of uterine fibroids does not change the cause of uterine fibroids in patients, so many women who undergo uterine fibroid removal surgery will experience recurrence 3 to 5 years later, causing greater distress to patients. Traditional Chinese medicine, on the other hand, delves deeper into the root cause of treating tumors. Since the stagnation of qi and blood, phlegm and dampness, damp heat, kidney deficiency and blood stasis can all cause the production of uterine fibroids, targeted treatment should also be carried out according to different syndrome differentiation, dispersing cold pathogens, clearing dampness, dissolving blood stasis, softening hard fibroids, and making fibroids disappear without a trace. Only by grasping the fundamental causes can we fundamentally eliminate the factors that cause fibroids and prevent their growth and recurrence.
4、 Two good news about uterine fibroids
Although the incidence rate of uterine fibroids is high, it is relatively "friendly": the probability of deterioration is very low, most uterine fibroids will not deteriorate, and very few cases of deterioration are more common in patients with postmenopausal uterine fibroids that continue to grow with pain and bleeding.
90% of patients with uterine fibroids have no obvious symptoms and are only occasionally discovered during gynecological examinations and pelvic ultrasound.
Self shrinking after menopause
Generally speaking, tumor growth is relatively slow, and most fibroids will shrink on their own after menopause, so not all fibroids need to be removed.
5、 Prevention of uterine fibroids
1. Regularly participate in gynecological examinations for early detection and treatment.
2. As long as we pay attention to reasonable exercise, healthy diet, weight control, emotional regulation, and contentment, we can to some extent prevent the occurrence or delay the growth of uterine fibroids.
3. Women over the age of 25 should undergo abdominal ultrasound once a year, regardless of whether they have given birth or had sexual intercourse. If uterine fibroids are found in postmenopausal women, it is recommended to follow up every 3-6 months.
4. People with uterine fibroids should do a better job of contraception. Once pregnant, it brings certain difficulties to the abortion surgery and is prone to excessive bleeding.
5. Patients with uterine fibroids should not misuse supplements containing hormones, such as chickens, fish, ducks fed with hormone feed, vegetables fed with growth hormone, or long-term use of hormone drugs, health products (such as royal jelly, pollen, snow clams, bird's nest, and placental products), as well as cosmetics containing estrogen. Menopausal women should supplement estrogen and develop a reasonable plan under the guidance of a doctor to safely take estrogen. They should not eat health supplements indiscriminately in their daily lives. Additionally, it is advisable to consume more green vegetables, fruits, and dairy products.