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YouLookFab Forum » Topic: * https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:51:29 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Robin on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids/page/2#post-1495203 Fri, 22 May 2015 23:14:58 +0000 Robin 1495203@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sending so much empathy on the iron deficiency stuf. My chronic iron deficiency (well, chronic if I don't take supplements) isn't caused by heavy menstrual bleeding - docs don't know what causes it - and I know how hard it is to deal with. There's just no way to describe that exhausted, walking-through-sand feeling. If you need any help around ways to get iron in your diet. Good luck with the dificult medical decisions you have to make. Your reply Echo on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids/page/2#post-1494361 Thu, 21 May 2015 02:05:55 +0000 Echo 1494361@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ While you did not ask for opinions regarding the Mirena IUD, I thought I'd chime in on that, too. I had a Mirena inserted after I had recovered from the birth of my third child. Except I started bleeding after the insertion. And I kept bleeding. I bled for two months straight, and my Gyn put me on low-level birth control pills in an effort to control the bleeding. But that did not work, and after 4-1/2 months I was still bleeding constantly. I finally had it removed because I just couldn't take it anymore. And I guess looking back on my posts here, perhaps I am just a bleeder! Like I said, I did have heavy periods even when I was a teen, and I had almost overwhelming bleeding after the delivery of my children (which at the time I thought was normal, too, but looking back on it, perhaps was not). Birth control pills were the only thing that kept the bleeding in check, but after our family was complete I was unwilling to endure the other side-effects of hormonal birth control. Anyway, if you would like to avoid surgery, then an IUD might be worth a try. But like anything else, they don't work out for everyone in terms of slowing or stopping bleeding.  catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids/page/2#post-1494332 Thu, 21 May 2015 00:57:31 +0000 catgirl 1494332@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ No worries - it's all food for thought.  I have no fear of Western medicine; however, I'm also a big fan of informed decision-making and am not afraid to question a physician (my mom is one, so there's that!). :)  Appreciate all the input and hope this helps others here too if they are facing it. Aziraphale on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1494159 Wed, 20 May 2015 18:37:58 +0000 Aziraphale 1494159@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've just checked back to this thread because I wanted to read the article that textile posted a link to. It was interesting, and is one instance where common sense happens to agree with medical findings -- i.e. that chopping a cancer-riddled uterus up into little bits could potentially spread cancer all over the place in your abdomen!  That is, indeed, information I would want to have before surgery. (Actually, although my surgeon didn't say anything about that particular problem with morcellation, she did mention one huge advantage of open laparotomy: she could get a much better look at what was going on in there. Laparoscopic surgery is great for leaving smaller scars and having a quicker recovery time, but sometimes they miss stuff. My surgeon, while she was in there removing my small melon of a tumour, had the opportunity to thoroughly check out my ovaries and Fallopian tubes for cancer). Here's the thing with hysterectomy surgery. Some people are nervous of the The Western Medical System. The ability to do "research" online (i.e. doing Google searches for any scrap of information you can find, written by anybody, from informed professionals to hysterical nutjobs) only makes this nervousness worse (and serves as fuel for conspiracy theorists). Yet the fact is that for decades, surgeons did perform many, many unnecessary hysterectomies. So now, with all this fearmongering going around, we have a situation where sometimes women who would genuinely benefit from a hysterectomy (like Echo, poor gal!) avoid them like they are an Instrument of the Patriarchy Designed to Keep Women Repressed, or something. Ok, I'm half joking. But I really do think that we are now extra-extra-suspicious when a doctor suggests hysterectomy, because the medical profession does actually have a history of doing too many of them. By the way, Una, I'm not saying that you seem unreasonable in any way. I'm just pointing out that if you ask around about hysterectomy, you're going to get a lot of opinions, and those opinions are often based on fear and mistrust.  Having said that, we have a right (and a responsibility) to ask questions. Susie on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1494044 Wed, 20 May 2015 14:53:21 +0000 Susie 1494044@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh, Una, I am sorry you are going through this because I know how you feel. It's been 7 years since I had a hysterectomy due to large fibroids. For months I had had debilitating cramps every month and periods that lasted 10 days - 2 weeks. (After many years of periods that were no big deal.) At the time, I was seeing a family practice doctor and she dismissed it as pre-menopause. I was 46 at the time. Then I had difficulty urinating (sorry if TMI) and they thought it was a urinary tract infection. After a month where I was bleeding the whole time, a blood test showed I was anemic. I went back again and insisted that she do an exam. She kind of freaked out when she discovered the large fibroid and got me in with an OB/GYN as soon as possible. (After asking when my last exam was- a few months prior- and who did it- SHE did!) A few days later I had to go for an ultrasound for which I had to have a full bladder. Later that day I could not empty my bladder no matter how much I drank. I ended up at the ER with a catheter which was kept in for several days before I could have the surgery. The size of mine meant laparoscopic surgery wasn't an option. I had never had abdominal surgery and I expected the recovery to be awful but it wasn't at all. I anticipated being in bed for days or weeks but I was up and around as soon as I came home. I did over do it though and ended up opening my incision which led to another ER visit. My doctor wanted me to have a home health nurse but my DH became my nurse and took good care of me and it ended up healing just fine. Anyway.....I consider the surgery to have been a real blessing and the best thing I could have done. I just wish I had been diagnosed sooner rather than suffering for as many months as I did. catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493920 Wed, 20 May 2015 05:14:19 +0000 catgirl 1493920@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Az, thank you for that. I am pretty neutral on surgery and my uterus so am just gathering info to make the smartest decision for me. Everything helps! I may well be asking you more. My climbing partner recovered really quickly while another friend is still having issues a year later so I know it can be a crapshoot... Aziraphale on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493873 Wed, 20 May 2015 03:08:16 +0000 Aziraphale 1493873@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ One more comment (in response to Marlene): surgery is actually not a big deal...except when it is. What I mean by that is that the vast majority of surgeries go smoothly, without complications, or else very minor ones that resolve quickly. Before I actually had it, I was quite apprehensive about my own abdominal surgery, and started asking just about everyone I knew if they'd ever had surgery of any kind. Almost everybody over the age of 30 had, and of those, many had gone through abdominal surgery specifically. Nobody had experienced long-term problems, although many were surprised at how wrecked they felt for the first few weeks afterwards.  However, as Marlene points out, some individuals do have complications -- even death is possible, as I'm sure you know. So I guess you have to decide how badly you want to get your life back, how much time you're willing to sacrifice to try out less invasive options, and whether or not you're willing to take the small gamble that the surgery will create bigger problems than the one you had before.  For me, the benefits outweighed the risks. I literally had to give up nothing by giving up my uterus (er), except a few weeks of recovery -- but in the big picture, no biggie. In return I have gained a lot of freedom. But I might feel quite differently now if I'd ended up with major complications. Yikes, I'm writing quite a lot! I've been through this process already, and I've given it a lot of thought. As a result, I have opinions, lol. I hope they're useful to you. If you do have any questions about the specifics of the various treatments after you've talked to your doctor, please don't hesitate to pm me. Obviously I'm not a doctor, but I've been through it, I've talked to lots of people who have, and I can at least share anecdotal stories. catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493838 Wed, 20 May 2015 02:21:04 +0000 catgirl 1493838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thank you all again!  You have given me a long list of things to ask about at my next appointment.  I may just open this link right there in the exam room.  I am sorry so many of us have had issues, but so grateful for the collective wisdom.  I don't want to be hasty but I also don't want to let more time pass while feeling hindered and frustrated...  Will keep you posted on anything I decide and why! MsMary on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493835 Wed, 20 May 2015 02:13:00 +0000 MsMary 1493835@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ At one point in my 40s I was scheduled for a hysterectomy due to heavy periods and a large fibroid, but I changed jobs and canceled the surgery because I didn't want to take the time off. I ended up getting a Mirena IUD and it was a total game-changer for me -- the first couple of months were rough but after that my periods totally stopped and the fibroid bothered me less as well. I'd suggest trying an IUD first. Also, once I went through menopause and had the IUD removed, the fibroid seems to have shrunk because I haven't heard a peep from it in years. SandyG on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493822 Wed, 20 May 2015 01:48:19 +0000 SandyG 1493822@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Each individual is different so evaluate your options with a doctor you trust. I had a complete hysterectomy at 56 and mostly past menopause, the surgery partly due to fibroids. I had gone from trail running with my dog, to sitting on the couch all day, much to my dismay. Energy was nil. The post-op recovery was swift and other than a stubborn case of anemia that took months to correct, my energy level was good. Please don't fear surgery if anemia is keeping you from living a zest-filled life. If you feel like death every 18 days because anemia is sapping you, it's a really big life issue to confront. IMHO you won't get these years back while you wait it out being conservative. Marlene on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493783 Wed, 20 May 2015 00:36:42 +0000 Marlene 1493783@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Surgery is a big deal.  I had a vaginal hysterectomy (uterus and fallopian tubes) a year ago.  I had complications from the anesthesia that I am only now getting under control a year later.  So I suggest using up all the options in your tool chest first before going under the knife.  I was told that after menopause starts that the issues would decrease but that never happened in my case.  I went through ALL the options that were suggested.  Nothing worked and I decided to go for the surgery.  That being said...good riddance to my ornery uterus.  Life is so much better being pain free!    Aziraphale on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493666 Tue, 19 May 2015 18:59:18 +0000 Aziraphale 1493666@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I thought of one more thing: if you do decide to have the hysterectomy, ask your doctor about your ovaries. In Canada at least, they suggest leaving them in unless there's a compelling reason not to (like cancer). They used to take them out with the uterus if the woman was close to 50, but it has been shown that they continue to produce low levels of hormones (not just estrogen) throughout a woman's life -- i.e. even after menopause. I agree with Deb that each case is different, and the size of the fibroid(s) is a big factor. If I had small fibroids but lots of bleeding, I would consider hormone treatment, in the hope that the fibroids would shrink down after menopause. But with really big fibroids that are squashing all your other organs, surgery might be a better option.  Also, even UAE won't make big fibroids go away -- it will only shrink them a bit. Aziraphale on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493649 Tue, 19 May 2015 18:36:37 +0000 Aziraphale 1493649@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ *waving at Una* -- Hi there! Sorry I didn't see your post until today. I've been writing a cultural theory (read: incomprehensible philosophy) paper for three days solid. I've barely looked up. Anyway, it sounds like you (we!) are not alone. Lots of good advice. I can only speak from my own experience, but I am happy to share it with you. I did have the hysterectomy and I have absolutely zero regrets. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. However, it should be noted that I did not have any of the potential complications. My situation was a huge (like, cantaloupe-sized) fibroid that eventually caused near-constant low-level bleeding. They first noticed it during an ultrasound when I was pregnant with my son at age 35, and it only regressed to the size of an orange (why is it always fruit?) afterwards, giving me a bulky uterus but no other problems. However, over the next four years it continued to grow, and appeared to be picking up speed. I was offered several options (including the hormone treatment, and that uterine artery embolization thing (UAE) where they inject pellets into your uterine artery to try to block up the fibroid's blood supply -- er, no thanks). But in part because I didn't need my uterus anymore, and in part because it was so flipping huge that I was starting to look pregnant, I chose to have it removed. I tend towards the idea that when it comes to removing body parts, we should be conservative. So what I actually had scheduled was a myomectomy, and if the surgeon felt that would be impossible, a partial hysterectomy, which means removing the body of the uterus and leaving the cervix in place. I ended up with the supracervical hysterectomy, which meant there were no stitches in my vagina (yay) but there were stitches low on my abdomen, as you'd have for a c-section. It also means I still have to go for yearly Pap tests, but on the upside, I cannot tell a difference in my anatomy (this was important to me). Had I chosen a hysterectomy from the outset, they could have done it laparoscopically, trading in one long, low scar for two small scars much higher up. I'm actually happier having a low, hidden scar than small but visible scars, although I think it does take longer to heal from an open laparotomy than it does for laparoscopic surgery.  Also, because I still have my ovaries, I still experience premenstrual symptoms like breast swelling on a cyclic basis. It has been nearly four years, and it's like I still have a menstrual cycle, except I don't bleed AT ALL. It is so liberating! Truth be told, it's a big part of the reason I delight in going handbag-free. I do it because now, I can! One other thing: I greatly appreciate having a much flatter stomach and a non-lumpy abdomen. I had not realized how pregnant I looked -- or how uncomfortable I had been -- until I had my uterus out. (This was probably made worse by the fact that I am so small, so there isn't a lot of space in my abdominal cavity anyway). Hormone treatment won't make the fibroids smaller. Menopause will, but if they are really big, it's unlikely they will go completely away, so you'll always have lumps in your abdomen.  catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493240 Mon, 18 May 2015 21:47:19 +0000 catgirl 1493240@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks ladies. An IUD has been suggested - I guess worse case scenario is that it doesn't work. I just need to do SOMETHING- I can't just wait till menopause to be active and functioning. Appreciate the articles too and will read them ASAP! texstyle on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493126 Mon, 18 May 2015 14:33:58 +0000 texstyle 1493126@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ una, I came across this quite some time ago and when searching again today I found reference to it and I think I'd want to know my risks all around. <a href="http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/news/fda-warns-of-cancer-risk-in-a-type-of-uterine-fibroid-surgery" rel="nofollow">http://www.cancer.org/cancer/n.....id-surgery</a> L'Abeille on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493122 Mon, 18 May 2015 14:18:29 +0000 L'Abeille 1493122@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I was where you are a few years ago. My family doctor and my gyne suggested I get one of those IUDs that releases hormones and stops the bleeding. They work for up to 5 years, and by the end of that time I would be near menopause if not totally done. It has been fantastic. For the first year I continued to get light spotting off and on but never the kind of flow I used to get, and since then nothing. I recommend my patients consider it before a hysterectomy--which is major surgery, with a significant recovery time, even if there are no externally visible incisions... In some instances if the fibroids are really huge it might not stop the bleeding altogether. (But if they are so big they are causing pain that's a different story.) But you have nothing to lose by trying a more conservative approach (this one, or ablation), and the older you are, the more time is "on your side" in that the problem will one day go away anyway. Thirkellgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493109 Mon, 18 May 2015 14:03:43 +0000 Thirkellgirl 1493109@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have just come out on the other side of your situation. I played the watchful waiting game for five years, not wanting surgery if I could help it. My fibroids (two) were very large, and now that I have hit menopause (I'm 55 next month!) they have reduced in size dramatically. I was anemic, also, toward the end of this, and my dr. recommended I up my consumption of iron-rich foods instead of taking iron supplements. I'm entirely sympathetic, and I think that if I hadn't hit menopause this year I would have had surgery, also. It was all an exhausting pain in the neck. One suggestion for you: before you consider having laparoscopic surgery, do some reading about the morcellators that are used to facilitate that. There's been a lot of publicity in the past year about their risks, and many insurance companies are no longer covering their use. All the best to you. Anonymous on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1493024 Mon, 18 May 2015 04:38:30 +0000 Anonymous 1493024@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ No personal experience but a couple of friends had this and both said they wish they had had the surgery sooner. All that bleeding twice a month is a hardship in many ways. catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492953 Mon, 18 May 2015 00:11:25 +0000 catgirl 1492953@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Caro, I absolutely understood that! I am too - but I think it may be time. Janet, agree 100%. It's just too debilitating especially when there is an option! Caro in Oz on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492932 Sun, 17 May 2015 22:36:33 +0000 Caro in Oz 1492932@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Just to clarify, I'm not anti surgery just anti unnecessary surgery Janet on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492923 Sun, 17 May 2015 22:08:42 +0000 Janet 1492923@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Here's how I see it. With symptoms like that, do you really want to try to suffer through potentially several more years until menopause? I was unwilling to go through even one more year like that. Life is too short. I had been waiting long enough, and it was getting worse, not better. The weeks I had of recovery zipped by in a flash compared to the time I spent in discomfort from the fibroids. Whatever you decide, I wish you well! Sal on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492902 Sun, 17 May 2015 21:36:40 +0000 Sal 1492902@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wishing you good luck, it sounds like it is time to take action....I don't have advice sorry. catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492868 Sun, 17 May 2015 20:19:34 +0000 catgirl 1492868@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks so much for that, Echo. I am about to turn 50, so really I am only concerned about my health. It sounds like for you, the true impact on your life was only really felt and measurable after you could see the improvement. This is how I feel anyway - I can't remember what life was like before being exhausted all the time, forgetful and doubled over with cramps two weeks a month. And yes, the issues related to managing what is essentially hemorrhaging are becoming too burdensome. This is a change for me in the last couple of years and it is really cramping my style, so to speak! Ugh! Echo on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492858 Sun, 17 May 2015 19:20:12 +0000 Echo 1492858@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Try ablation first if you are hesitant to have a hysterectomy. A few years ago I was about as anti-hysterectomy as anyone could possibly be. I was NEVER going to consider it, and considered it a money-maker for gynecologists. I has always bled heavily, but as I approached 40 it became worse than ever. I'd had smaller fibroids during pregnancy, but they had grown. My mum had gone through something similar, so I figured it was "normal" for us. And then one month I just didn't stop bleeding. It was so bad that if I had been sitting, when I stood up it would overflow anything I had used to try to contain it. You would think I would have seen a dr. sooner, right? But I didn't until I got light-headed often and had no energy at all. My GP took blood and did a test, and was shocked that I was conscious and walking, as my hemoglobin levels were in the critical level. She wanted to admit me to the hospital for transfusion because in her words, "one cut and it's all over."  I refused the transfusion andwent in for ablation, but the testing they did indicated pre-cancerous cells, so I had to have a hysterectomy. I had an abdominal hysterectomy (to remove the uterus intact), leaving the ovaries. The specialist wanted to test while I was still in the OR and remove the ovaries and lymph nodes if necessary, but I vehemently rejected that. I told him I would schedule another surgery if necessary, but I knew that immediate test results could be inaccurate and I would not lose my ovaries as a result of an inaccurate test. Fortunately, the later testing indicated no cancer. In hindsight, it was one of the best things I've ever done for my health. I had not realized how little energy I'd had for YEARS until I was no longer bleeding monthly. It isn't an overstatement to say it changed my life. I just wanted to let you know that although I was forced into a hysterectomy, in retrospect I am glad it happened. I wish you the best. catgirl on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492842 Sun, 17 May 2015 17:32:17 +0000 catgirl 1492842@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I knew I wouldn't be alone here!  Thank you for al the sharing and advice.  I have what the majority has described - large fibroids that are the source of the bleeding as they have grown.  When I was pregnant I looked like I was having twins, but they shrunk back down and have not been a problem again until the last year or so.  They have multiplied and grown to the point where removing them is not possible. Vitamin D is always an issue here - I take a supplement for that.  But my iron stores were the real concern.  A friend of mine is a bit further along with the same thing and she had to have iron infusions and may need a blood transplant.  :(  I hope to avoid that by eating iron rich foods.\ Traci, thanks for the website!  Janet, it is good to hear that you recovered quickly.  My doc has also suggested laparoscopic surgery, which I hope is possible.  And Caro, thanks for the viewpoint from the other side of it  - I am weighing all options here, including enduring it through to menopause. The article seems focused on women of reproductive age, which I'm technically past, but I will read up more about the risks.  Traci on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492768 Sun, 17 May 2015 14:35:28 +0000 Traci 1492768@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm 3 weeks post op from a total abdominal hysterectomy (they left my ovaries) due to fibroids. Recovery has been tougher than I expected, but not really worse than advertised. My pain has been minimal, but the fatigue is debilitating. My doc first recommended we do something two years ago. I waited until it was really impacting my quality of life. She offered me several other options, but did not recommend ablation in my case. She said ablation would stop the excessive bleeding, but my fibroids would continue to grow until menopause. She offered several options to try to be able to do the surgery laparoscopically, but in the end I just opted for the old fashioned way. My fibroids were too large to remove the uterus vaginally. There's a really fantastic website called hystersisters that has forums and articles on everything you could wonder about. It's really invaluable. Let me know if you have any other questions. I could go on for days! Nebraskim on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492738 Sun, 17 May 2015 13:18:42 +0000 Nebraskim 1492738@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The fact you're thinking and planning is good. My friend had to have an emergency hysterectomy after a large fibroid ruptured unexpectedly and she was hemmorhaging quite badly. They had been in a watchful waiting mode for several years. The rupture and bleeding were quite painful and traumatic so I guess that is something to think about in terms of doing this sooner rather than later. She was in her mid 40s and had never been pregnant. They left her ovaries. My mother had a hysterectomy in her 70s when bleeding developed. They removed it via her vagina, which I guess is easier (fewer incisions) but more difficult if your cervix has never been fully dilated to deliver an infant. Her recovery was uneventful. I think it's a good idea to do research to help you come to the decision that is the right one for you. I hope you begin to feel better soon. FWIW also check your vitamin D levels. Apparently most Americans have low levels (and coming out of Alaska's long dark season can contribute) and this can lead to fatigue. Good luck. Janet on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492723 Sun, 17 May 2015 12:11:31 +0000 Janet 1492723@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Una, this is almost exactly what I had going on two years ago. I had known for four years that I had fibroids, and we had been doing the wait and watch thing, hoping that menopause would bring relief, but as time went on, the fibroids slowly grew, and my cycle was showing no signs of significantly slowing down. Meanwhile, the largest fibroid had reached the size of an orange. My doctor and I sat down and talked through all the options. Since she is a woman about the same age as us, I asked her what she would choose if she were me, and the hysterectomy was her answer. I found that very encouraging. I never had children of my own and wasn't about to start at age 47, so like you, I had zero emotional attachment to my uterus. I had never had surgery before, so I was quite nervous, but they were able to do it laparoscopically, and my recovery was quite rapid. I expect the same would be true for you because you take good care of yourself. It turned out that I had something like 17 of the darn things, and I have felt soooo much better post-surgery. I know each person is different, but I recommend taking your time to compile all the questions you have, and talking over all the options with your doctor while getting those questions answered. I am 100% glad I chose the option I did, so I hope that whatever course of action you take, you get as much relief as I did. Please feel free to PM me if you want more info. It really does sound like our experiences are similar. Mochi on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492705 Sun, 17 May 2015 10:44:41 +0000 Mochi 1492705@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I had a friend who was bleeding intensely each month and ended up having a hysterectomy. She was a marathon runner who was feeling quite debilitated, and was thrilled with gaining back her energy and vitality.  It's probably a hard decision to make, though. Hugs, Una! I hope you end up feeling better no matter what you do!  Deborah on "*" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/health-issues-iron-and-fibroids#post-1492671 Sun, 17 May 2015 07:17:30 +0000 Deborah 1492671@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Una, I had the exact same thing:)  Speaking only from my experience, and I am not a medical professional, I think the size of the fibroids can be an important factor. I had 1 large fibroid, the size of a 12 week fetus.  I was bleeding each month in a most extreme manner and was very sick.  I had a hysterectomy.  Uterus was removed, along with the fibroid which was attached to the uterus wall.  I had a minor complication and one of my ovaries was removed as well.  I have never felt better:)   I fully respect Caro's comments and agree with her, but I think each case is unique.  I was 45 and as I understand it the size of the fibriod played a part in the decision.  It would have just kept growing. The treatments Caro mentioned were not suggested for me. But I did ask about other treatments and it was determined they would not be suitale.   But a friend did have what I think was the UAE treatment, however it did not reduce the fibroid and she ultimately had a hysterectomy.   My doctor initially diagnosed low iron and followed up with a colonoscopy due to family medical history.  All was fine, so doc put me on course of iron tablets.  It took a couple of months to see an improvement but the bleeding was still a problem.  Then I discovered a 'mass' in my abdomen and went back to the GP.  Long story short that is how the fibroid was discovered. Happy to chat further about this via PM if you think it might help.