Uterine fibroids are very common, non cancerous tumors found in women between the ages of 35 – 45 years. They are most commonly found in the uterus, typically within the uterine wall, but may sometimes develop outside this wall as well. It must be pointed out that uterine fibroids are not associated with any increase in the risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop to that stage.
While no one is certain what causes uterine fibroids, it has been noticed that whenever estrogen levels are high, as a result of pregnancy or contraceptive pills for example, fibroid growth rate is increased. When a women approaches menopause, estrogen levels decrease, thus causing the fibroids to shrink or almost disappear.
Although as many as three out of four women have uterine fibroids, they are very rarely detected as they often don’t cause any symptoms. Most doctors stumble upon them while performing a prenatal ultrasound or a pelvic exam.
Studies have shown that a number of factors may be responsible for an increase in the risk of a woman developing these fibroids. For example:
Some of the symptoms that indicate possible fibroids are mentioned below:
Remedies to Shrink Fibroids
Over the years, a number of remedies have been reputed to take care of these symptoms of fibroids with ingredients you could find in your kitchen. One such remedy is to apply warm castor oil to the external area where your uterus is. This will provide with relief from the pain superficially. An increase in the levels of exercise goes a long way as well, as it seems to help get rid of the fibroids naturally. You could also make a tea with dandelion herb simmered in for about 20 minutes and drink this 3 times a day for positive results. As the liver plays an important part in the maintaining estrogen levels, you can also take milk thistle, which is supposed to help maintain the health of the liver. It is also believed that a vegetarian diet helps reduce fibroids. However, there is no evidence to prove that meat causes or aggravates them.