Fibroid Tumors can be a real pain and cause for discomfort during pre-menopause and menopause. Some women may have multiple fibroids and they can grow quite large. When they are small, they may not be noticed much or cause problems. If they are large, you need to learn how to safely exercise to prevent bleeding. It is important to remember that not all kinds of exercises are beneficial when suffering from fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and large fibroid tumors.
You should get advice from your doctor and a physical therapist before you undertake an exercise program. This is important so you don’t make your medical problem worse. For several years I suffered from two very large fibroid tumors. My life was miserable with excessive bleeding, clots, and pain until I found a program including exercise that helped relieve symptoms.
Fibroid tumors are located within the wall of the uterus and surrounding tissue.
They are rarely cancerous. They vary from being small to life-threatening. When they are small, they often give few problems. When they are large they cause pain and severe bleeding. Since they develop in the uterus, any activity that contracts the uterine wall may cause problems. The bleeding can be severe. I ended up in the emergency room three different times. The doctors had to do a D and C twice, which involves scraping the inside lining of the uterus, to stop the excessive bleeding. These usually benign tumors are frustrating because you look like you’re pregnant. In my haste to look better, I undertook exercises that made my fibroid tumors bleed. I learned how to exercise safely because of these mistakes.
How exercise benefits fibroid tumors:
When your hormones are out of balance, you may develop fibroid tumors. Excessive estrogen production feeds these tumors. That is why when you enter full menopause, when menstrual cycles end, the fibroid tumors shrink and dry up. Your estrogen decreases and so does the fibroid tumor. Exercise helps the liver to disperse excessive estrogen. It helps to balance all your hormones. Exercise is an important step to get your fibroid tumors under control and relieve pain.
Exercises you should avoid with large fibroid tumors.
Sit Ups:
If you have large fibroid tumors, sit-ups put pressure on the uterine wall, which can start fibroid bleeding. This happened to me and I lost three days of work due to the bleeding.
Stomach Toning Exercise Equipment: There are certain exercise machines at a gym that exert great pressure on the uterus. Again, this can start fibroid bleeding. One session with one of these exercise machines resulted in a trip to the emergency room. My doctor gave me a stern warning not to do it again. I didn’t have any idea that exercising in that way would cause problems.
Jobs with very strenuous exercise:
One of the jobs I had during this time period was as a floor waitress in a casino, pushing a heavy drink cart. I spent eight hours a day pushing this heavy cart. It contained heavy coffee pots and beverages. I quit the job because pushing for hours made the fibroids bleed. That job caused one of the most serious trips to the emergency room. I had lost so much blood; they almost put me in the hospital. My fibroid tumors were at one point so large, they were life-threatening.
Cardiovascular exercise:
Avoid jarring, high-impact exercises
Sexual Activity:
It is an exercise that has an effect on the uterine wall. When the tumors are large, sexual activity can start them bleeding.
Exercises that help relieve fibroid pain:
Walking is a great exercise:
It is gentle on the body but effective. Work up to longer walks over several weeks. Walking with weights might be the next step. Don’t overdo the first week.
Swimming or aerobics exercise is also great:
Try to exercise three to four times a week for at least 30 minutes. Swimming is one of the best exercises for people with arthritis or joint pain. The water supports their weight, making it gentler on the body.
Yoga:
There are certain yoga poses, such as Bharadvaja’s Twist and the Supported Bridge Pose, that help relieve fibroid pain. These exercises help open up the uterus and relieve the congestion in the uterine area. Again, be careful and start out slow. Make sure you take the beginners’ class first. Talk with your teacher, letting her know about your health problems, so she can personalize your program.
Strength-Training Exercises:
This is a low-impact exercise that helps strengthen muscles and tissues over time.
I might add that I went on a program that included walking, diet, and herbs. My fibroid tumors, pain, and bleeding eased. With this natural program, I was able to avoid surgery. It did take time and experimenting with natural therapies to get that done. It took a year to reduce my fibroid tumors. The only option I was given by my doctors was surgery. I did find the answer and it was not surgery.
I am thankful today because I used natural therapies. When I finally reached full menopause, I experienced very few problems. I did not visit a holistic doctor at that time, we did not have the money. I was dealing with a financial crisis and divorce at the same time. Stress made my whole health worse. It was just one of those bad times in your life, you look back at, thanking God you made it through. Having the supervision of a holistic doctor would have cut down the time to get my fibroids under control. So if at all possible, get help from a holistic professional.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/fibroids-natural-treatment#diet-and-lifestyle
http://www.livestrong.com/article/372759-exercises-to-reduce-uterine-fibroids/#ixzz1glLsXH1n
http://afibroidsmiracle.com/exercise-and-fibroids/
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/surgery/a/d_and_c.htm
