But what if the period is heavy and last for more than a week, leaving you pale and weak after much loss of blood? Or what if it comes with excruciating pains, making it impossible to carry out your daily activities? This is not normal.
Signs of Fibroid
Menstruation should not make one pale or deprive one of her normal lifestyle and daily activities. A lot of women have been swayed into believing that a heavy and painful period is just normal. But it isn’t. Symptoms of fibroid are: Heavy menstrual bleeding, prolong periods, pelvic pain and probably constipation. (I had constipation during the period I was diagnosed with Fibroid. But it isn’t proven as a symptom of Fibroid.) It is however important to note that in some cases there are no symptoms at all says The University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan (UCH).
At the age of 15, I started my period. This was quite late you would agree. Some of my mates started around 8-13, quite early you will agree. At 14 years of age, I was already worried. I began to make some research and in one of the books I read, I came to see that a girl who hasn’t seen her period at age 16 had a medical issue. I panicked. I had one year to go. I remember praying to God for it, and then one day, I felt this strong unusual pain in me. My period did come. I rejoiced within me.
The period wasn’t funny. At first it lasted for three days, but it was damn heavy. This is the case with so many young girls; it could be high risk of fibroid.
A friend of mine told me recently of her own peculiar case. Hers always left her pale. She started her period at 13 though. Her parents didn’t take any chances. An appointment was scheduled with a gynecologist and once examined, it was confirmed that she could have fibroid if left untreated.
Fibroid medically known as Uterine Myoma is no joke. Although non-cancerous, it grows in the uterus and develops during a woman’s child- bearing years. Over 40% of women around the world suffers from Fibroid. What are the causes?
The cause of fibroid is not well understood says some medical experts, although Dr. Christiane Northup believes it is as a result of collagen in your connective tissue. However, we can prevent it. Fibroid feeds on blood. It gets it nutrients from blood and when a woman is pregnant, from the placenta just like the fetus. When a woman is pregnant, the estrogen level rises causing the fibroid to grow.
Fibroid in Pregnancy
When I was three months pregnant, I found out I had fibroid. This was during my first pelvic scan- a prerequisite for anti- natal registration. My doctor said I shouldn’t worry because the fibroid was on the wall of my uterine and not inside the womb. He assured me that nothing would happen to my baby.
Contraction in early pregnancy
It started on a Thursday morning, one month after the scan just before my clinic date. I was at work teaching a class when it began. The pain was something like a bite, thus, I adjusted my zipper. At first, I felt comfortable, but towards noon, the pain started again. This time, it was serious. I decided to lie down for a while, my thought being that the baby was changing position. I had to take permission from my boss to go home when the pain intensified. He accepted, without hesitating. I called my husband immediately, told him my condition and he responded without delay. I needed a good sleep after over working myself the previous day during my school inter- house sport hint. Acting in the capacity of house mistress, my job involved cheering my students for motivation.
However, the pain did not reduce and so fearing that I was contracting at 13 weeks we went to the hospital. After waiting for about thirty minutes, the doctor was finally free to examine me. She asked a lot of questions of which I answered. BOOM! It was contraction.
I was placed on admission for two days but when my condition worsen, I was referred to the teaching hospital. I prayed incessantly. At the teaching hospital, I was placed on medications at the O&G ward to calm the excruciating pain I was feeling.
The gynecologists did all they could to stop the pain. The contractions were regular and followed a pattern- every 6 to 7 minutes consistently. The pain extended to my lower back and left leg. It was days of intense screaming. Day three at the teaching hospital, there was still no improvement. The contractions became stronger and were about 2 to 3 minutes apart lasting about 30 seconds.
Then, one night, I had gone to use the convenience, only to see my mucus plug. I alerted one of the nurses on duty immediately. The good news was that there was no blood, I became calm. Getting the assurance that I wasn’t going to have a miscarriage gave me rest of mind. I prayed to God happily and slept.
In my sleep, I felt something coming out of my virginal. When I checked what it was, I found out that it was blood. I panicked and called the nurse. She said it was normal for a woman in my condition to bleed. I doubted her this time and googled ‘fibroid in pregnancy.’ I wanted to be sure.
Well, it turned out that she was right. It was around 5 am so I decided to call my sister in law. She comforted me and prayed with me on the phone but while we were still praying I felt this deep pain in my stomach and lower back. It was more intense than what I felt before. I screamed so loud. The nurse rushed to my side, called the doctors who responded without delay. After I was examined by one of the doctors, I was told I was having a miscarriage. The news was devastating.
I lost a pregnancy to fibroid. Many women have lost their lives because they were not properly informed. The pain I felt during that period was nebulous. The imaginations, hope and dreams were all gone. It was overwhelming. But we all can prevent and treat fibroid if it is diagnosed early.
You know the symptoms? Why not visit your local hospital today?
This article was written to sensitize girls, women and mothers about fibroid. The early signs and symptoms should not be neglected. Go to the hospital and you can live a normal, happy life. Please use this knowledge to transform your health. Feel free to leave a comment or send an email if you have any question. Connect with me on:
6 Responses
Very vital info. Thanks
You are welcome.
Educative
Thanks. We are happy with your response, Jenny.