I suffer for a minimum of two weeks per month with abdominal pain in my uterus. I also get severe lower back pain and have issues with my bowels and frequent urination during this time. This usually begins 3-5 days before I begin my period and then the pain subsides and I have a very heavy period with lots of bleeding and clots. Once my period ends I continue to have abdominal pain for another 4-5 days. Does this sound normal? My doctor said if I wait till menopause that it will all go away. I am 46 years old and each month I consider if waiting is worth it or if I should pursue a hysterectomy. Published: March 27 ::

Three years ago, I had a hysterectomy because of fibroids. My symptoms were severe: very heavy bleeding, and large blood clots. In the past, I told my doctor, but she took a wait-and-see attitude. Finally, the pain was so severe that I changed doctors and changed my life literally. When I had the tests run, he discovered more than 20 fibroids of all shapes and sizes. I had severe endometriosis cysts and vey early stages of cancer. I am very happy today; my doctor saved me. Published: March 11 ::

I am 48 years old and have been dealing with uterine fibroids for a long time. They did not seem to have much impact on my life until a few years ago when all 'hell broke loose' every month. (Having to go through five super-heavy tampons as well as six heavy-duty pads in a nine-hour period I do believe would be considered severe bleeding.) Anemia is my middle name. I am also playing the waiting game and hope menopause is around the corner for me. In the meantime, I deal with the flood gates opening every month, and I take an iron supplement, which has helped me tremendously. I tried prescription as well as over-the-counter iron pills, but the constipation was just too much to handle. Floradix Iron & Herb Tablets (comes in liquid form as well) is a God-send. Look for it in your health food stores or on line. I was going to have the uterine ablation procedure, but when I found out that there is a 50% chance it will work, I have decided to hang in there. Published: March 04 ::

I am a 24-year-old Latina. In August, I was experiencing severe pain in my abdomen, so I went to the ER to get it checked out. The doctor told me that I probably had kidney stones, and they could not see them with the ultrasound. He did not want to do a CT scan because of my age, so he gave me medicine to help me pass the stones. Two weeks ago, I had to return to the ER because I was having more severe pain. This time they did an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound. The doctor said the results were inconclusive. I followed up with my doctor, and she scheduled a trans-vag ultrasound, which I did yesterday. She called last night to tell me the results had not come back yet, but she got the full report of my ER visit. She then told me that it showed a uterine fibroid that I have had since 2004! Nobody ever told me that, and I gave birth in 2006. I cannot believe that I have lived with this for four, almost five, years and no one said anything. In late 2004 early 2005, I had an ultrasound performed because I had lower abdominal pain that the doctors wrote off as a UTI, which is funny because the only symptom I had was the pain. I didn’t have any urinary symptoms at all. It also showed gallstones, which they also did not tell me about in the ER. Published: December 17 ::

I have uterine fibroids and have had them for years. When my OB/GYN first told me I had fibroids, we decided to take the watch-and-wait route because I didn't have any problems. Now about 10 years later, I have severe/killer cramps, backaches, and constipation. I do not want to have a hysterectomy and my doctor also feels the same. Since I am close to menopause, he suggests that I keep playing the waiting game. I don't have any heavy bleeding, probably thanks to the birth control pills that I take. I found that if I take a painkiller on the first sign of pain, it help lessens the severe cramps. I am also starting to watch my diet. I make sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Exercise also helps reduce the cramping. Published: December 17 ::

I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids at age 38. I did not want a hysterectomy; I wanted to preserve the ability to have children and didn't want to go into menopause early so I chose myomectomy. The surgery was unsuccessful, the two largest tumors had veins wrapped around my ovaries and could not be removed without removing the ovaries because I wanted to preserve the ability to have kids, the doctor did not remove the ovaries. I then had a Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE), which was successful; the heavy bleeding, distention and discomfort subsided and I had my life back! However, 10 years later two new fibroid tumors appeared in my uterus, which was a shock to me; I didn't know that could happen. I have now chosen to have a hysterectomy. I'm glad I did the UFE, it bought me 10 more years before hysterectomy. If I had not waited until two of the tumors got so large, the myomectomy may have been successful. Fibroids can grow FAST and larger ones can be more difficult to treat. I wish I had sought treatment a year earlier, and wish I had known that they could still grow after UFE! Published: November 19 ::