The amount of women affected by uterine fibroids is staggering. The thought of women who will become affected by uterine fibroids in the future is almost unbelievable. Before I became one of those women, I had no idea what uterine fibroids even were, much less how to recognize the signs and symptoms of this debilitating disorder. You can read all about my fibroid story here.

I didn’t even know I had uterine fibroids until it was too late. By the time I was diagnosed in October 2015, my stomach was so big that I looked like I was about 6 or 7 months pregnant. I should’ve known there was a problem before that. The fact that I could barely walk down the aisle because I was in so much pain from my period on my wedding day in May 2015 should’ve alerted me that something wasn’t right.

Oh, yes, I had plenty of symptoms of uterine fibroids over the years that should have alerted me to see a doctor sooner, but I didn’t because I didn’t think those things were anything to worry about. Now that I know better, I can’t help but wonder: Why is it that so many women miss the signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids?

Barriers To Recognizing Fibroid Symptoms

It wasn’t hard to come to the answer to that puzzle once I really began to think about it. Many women can back me up on the following reasons we so often and easily miss the signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids.

One of the biggest barriers to women failing to recognize uterine fibroid symptoms is that we aren’t properly prepared for menstrual cycles and problems with the reproductive system by those who should’ve taught us, but were instead themselves underprepared.

Like so many other women I just thought that women were supposed to be miserable during our time of the months. It was what I’d seen and had been taught from all of my older sisters, my mother, and pretty much every other woman I’d ever come in contact with before, and even after I started my period. And this “truth” was confirmed once I began having my cycles at the age of 13 and by the age of 14, I was having bad cramps and was bleeding so heavily during that time of the month that I was afraid I would do the unthinkable and have an accident while at school and mess my clothes up for everyone to see.

Also, from my experience older women just didn’t discuss those things in detail with their daughters. The first time I even heard the words, “fibroids” were when my older sister told me she was diagnosed with them when I was a teenager. I remember asking her what they were and even she–a nurse–had a little difficulty explaining to me in a way that I would understand what exactly fibroids were. As I mentioned earlier, I really didn’t know what uterine fibroids were until I was diagnosed with them. It was only then when I began to research and learn all I could about the disorder.

Other barriers to women recognizing the (early) symptoms of fibroids are age, economics, and differences in the times. I’m in my mid-thirties. When I was growing up, I didn’t really have access to the internet like we do today. The Internet didn’t really start to get popular until around the late 90s, and by then I was just a young teenager, not caring at all about fibroids. Computers were available at school, but I didn’t have one at home. So, it wasn’t as if I could just go to the computer (since we didn’t have one in our home), pull up the internet, and do a Google search for uterine fibroids back then. And even if I could, I had no desire to, because even though my mother and older sisters had fibroids, they didn’t discuss those things with me, so I knew nothing about fibroids. Most women, it seems, aren’t getting diagnosed with uterine fibroids until their mid to late twenties, and on into their early thirties, so if you’re reading this and you’re around my age or older, you can probably feel me on this.

Also, doctors are just now beginning to understand that fibroids are a real problem for women, especially for black women since it predominantly affects us. It hasn’t been until recently that doctors have begun to understand the cause of fibroids (although they’re still mostly baffled by that) and the unhealthy lifestyle that contributes to fibroids and their growth. How can we possibly understand these things if our doctors–our main source of information about illnesses–are clueless about them?

The moral of this is because I was ignorant of fibroids, I–and many others whose backgrounds are similar to mine–failed to recognize the symptoms.

Early Signs of Uterine Fibroids

I had plenty of symptoms of uterine fibroids, but as I stated before, it didn’t even occur to me that I had them until I was diagnosed. If you’re reading this, then I can only assume that either you are such a woman affected by uterine fibroids, or you know someone who is dealing with this hellish disorder.

Here are some of the symptoms that I had before I was diagnosed:

My Symptoms

• Very painful periods (I was bedridden during that time of the month)
• Heavy periods (the first few days)
• Periods that lasted anywhere from 10-12 days (FYI: periods that last longer than 7 days is a cause for alarm)
• Hard protuberant abdomen
• Spotting between my periods
• Extreme bloating
• Painful Intercourse and bleeding during intercourse
• Frequent #1 restroom visits
• Constipation
• Unexplainable chronic pain in my lower abdomen

Now, here are the most common symptoms women with fibroids experience:

Common Signs and Symptoms of Fibroids

Bleeding

This is the most common symptom of fibroids, and a dead giveaway that something is going on with your womb. One of the reasons for the heavier bleeding is because the fibroids block the normal menstrual flow, which causes blood to back up and seem heavier when finally released. An increase in bleeding whether it’s during that time of the month, or in-between periods is always a cause for concern.

Pain

Pain is a huge problem for women with fibroids. At least one in every three women report that there is some level of pain associated with fibroids. The amount of pain fibroids can cause depends on their size, their location, and honestly, every woman’s own tolerance level. Fibroids found inside the uterus often cause severe cramping as the uterus tries to squeeze that foreign thing out of your body. If you’re finding that you’re experiencing more pain in your reproductive system than usual, then it’s definitely something you need to discuss with your doctor.

Pressure

As the fibroid grows, so does your uterus. This can cause an uncomfortable abdominal pressure of feeling like you’re pregnant because you’re carrying around a tumor that can weigh as much or more than an actual baby. And, of course, the larger the fibroid, the more pressure it will put on surrounding organs.

Urinary Problems

An increase urge to tinkle is always something to take note of. While not the most physically painful problem associated with fibroids, urinary problems can be one of the most stressful. The pressure of a large fibroid sitting on your bladder almost always causes an increase in urinary urgency, and it oftentimes results in some form of urinary incontinence (meaning you lose control of your bladder), which can be very distressful to women. This was another one of the symptoms I had. No grown woman wants to feel like she’s a toddler again because she’s unable to hold her pee, especially in public. Unfortunately, this is not even the worst urinary issue that could result because of fibroids. If a fibroid compresses the ureters (which are those tiny tubes connecting the bladder and kidneys) against the bones of the pelvis, urine flow can be inhibited, which very well could eventually result in some pretty bad kidney damage.

Painful Intercourse

Even though fibroids are not found in the vagina, they can put pressure on the vaginal area, as well as the bladder and rectum (causing constipation and those annoying pulsating feelings women sometimes get in their bottom), which can cause pain before, during, and after intercourse.

Pregnancy Problems/Infertility

This one is very nearly the suckiest of them all, depending on who the woman is, I guess. According to Science, it already isn’t all that easy to get pregnant. Many “experts” agree that the average healthy woman only has about a 20% chance of conceiving every month in the best of circumstances. Now, add in a fibroid tumor the weight and size of a 5-month fetus which can block a sperm’s way to that all-important egg; block an egg’s passage to the uterus for implantation, or cause so much inflammation in the uterus that the fertilized egg is unable to implant safely at all, and you’re really looking at some problems with conceiving a child.

Even if you do manage to get pregnant with fibroids, fibroids can endanger a pregnancy (or at the very least make pregnancy far more uncomfortable) by:

1. Growning Larger. Due to an increase in estrogen during pregnancy, some women experience an increase in fibroid size, which can become very painful and uncomfortable as the pregnancy progress.
2. Causing Pre-Term Labor. Women with fibroids have a tendency to deliver babies prior natural childbirth.
3. Causing More Birth Defects. Although it’s rare, women with fibroids do have a slighly higher risk of delivering a stillborn child or a baby with birth defects than women without fibroids.
4. By Requiring a C-Section Delivery More Often. Since fibroids can alter a baby’s position for delivery, women with fibroids while they’re pregnant have a higher chance of needing a cesarean section than those without uterine tumors.

What to do if you suspect you may have fibroids

If any of these symptoms seem familiar to you, then see a doctor–quickly. As with any illness, early detection of fibroids can lessen the amount of turmoil you may go through. I suffered for months before I finally went to see a doctor about the symptoms I was experiencing.

Learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of so many other women who have gone through this. I’ve coached a lot of women with fibroids, so I’ve had the opportunity to hear the voices of other women whose experience was similar and yet different from mine. Throughout our differences, however, there are quite a few similarities between us, including the things we’d do differently if we could. Most of us would’ve preferred going to get checked out as soon as we began experiencing the common symptoms listed in this post.

Here are some things to start doing right away if you suspect you have fibroids:

1. Be good to yourself. Take care of You. Do not wait any longer to find out what’s going on with you. The sooner you know what it is you’re facing, the better. Begin making plans to make an appointment with a GOOD doctor to get yourself checked out.
2. Research the doctor before you make an appointment with them. Every woman with fibroids can attest to this. This is already a vulnerable, scary time for you. You need a GOOD doctor in your corner to help you through this. You need someone who will take your concerns and reported symptoms seriously. Someone who will respect your decisions and your feelings and be careful not to put their feet in their mouth when speaking to you. In essence, you need–and deserve–someone who will treat you like a human being, and not another body to start experimenting on. That goes for even women who have been seeing their doctors for years. It doesn’t matter how much of your history these doctors have. If you’re not feeling helped by these doctors then find another doctor. Pray and ask God (do not leave God out of this; You’re going to need Him) to lead you to the right healer near you, even if your insurance won’t cover much. I’ve been seen by some terrible doctors and some fabulous doctors, from those who accept low-end insurance to those who accept elite insurance. Every woman can agree on this: a good doctor throughout this journey is golden.
3. Sometimes, you may leave your doctor’s office with more questions about your condition than answers. If you suspect that you may have fibroids, research a bit about the condition before your doctor’s appointment so you’re not just walking into the doctor’s office unarmed. Make a list of questions you’d like to ask your docto before going to see them.

These three things can empower you before you even step foot in the doctor’s office. YOU are ultimately in control of your body and your care, so I highly recommend you do everything you can for yourself by arming yourself with as much information about your condition and your doctor as possible.