Guest Author - Sharon Bejin

When women begin to go through menopause, they may see their monthly periods take a drastic change. They may have had normal periods all their life but suddenly experience heavy bleeding and clotting during their menstrual cycle. This can be scary, especially when you don’t know what is happening.

A physical exam and pap smear by a physician or gynecologist will likely confirm that you have fibroid tumors. It may be shocking to hear the word tumor because the first thought is one of cancer, although most fibroid tumors are benign. Fibroid tumors are lumps of muscle and connective tissue that cling to the uterine wall, causing excessive bleeding and clotting during menstruation.

Up to forty percent of women develop fibroid tumors during their middle years. These heavy periods force women to wear maxi pads to avoid an unwanted disaster. Sometimes the periods get so heavy that women are changing pads every hour.

The good news is that there are things women can do to help the fibroids shrink or go away. But the first and most important thing to do is to schedule a physical examination with your doctor and have a pap smear to rule out other problems.

Upon finding out that heavy bleeding and clotting are caused by fibroids, making changes, both physically and mentally can make a difference. Women can change their diet to include foods that contain phytoestrogen such as carrots, potatoes, apples, oats, soy, and flaxseed. Phytoestrogen clings to estrogen in the body and helps to regulate estrogen levels. It also blocks estrogen and prevents abnormal cell growth. This can help reduce fibroids.

Fibroid growth is stimulated by estrogen. Some doctors may suggest women go on birth control pills to regulate their periods. The pill is a combination of estrogen and progesterone and will work to keep an even balance of estrogen in women’s bodies.

Another factor that contributes to fibroid tumors is stress. Estrogen levels rise when the body reacts to life’s stressors. By taking control of the stressors in their lives, women may see an improvement in their periods.

Other treatments include taking an iron supplement to avoid anemia. A multi-vitamin is recommended because it helps strengthen blood vessel walls. Vitamin B helps to neutralize estrogen levels in the body.

When women take charge of their lives and do things that work for them, they may notice physical and mental changes that increase the quality of their lives.