Have you been diagnosed with uterine fibroids and suffer with heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, back pain, pressure, urinary urgency or frequency?
Have you talked to multiple doctors who told you to have a hysterectomy? Are you afraid of even a minimally invasive fibroid procedure or just don't have the time in your life right now?
I was on a plane headed to the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists conference and sat next to a researcher from the University of Chicago. He told me about a simple treatment that he has been using for both pre and post surgical management of fibroids.
Now, I have seen many patients who have tried nearly everything under the sun for alternative fibroid treatments: castor oil packs, apple cider vinegar, "fibroid tea", becoming vegan, avoiding dairy, etc. While there may be someone from Tiktok who may say it works, none of these treatments have scientific evidence. We at the GIC believe in alternative treatments, but we need scientific support that it actually works.
What is this mystery alternative fibroid treatment that has science to back it up?
Vitamin D.
According to the Journal Fertility and Sterility, a study on the biology of fibroids demonstrates that vitamin D deficiency "plays a significant role in the development of uterine fibroids. Our recent studies have demonstrated that vitamin D3 [supplementation] reduces leiomyoma cell proliferation in vitro and leiomyoma tumor growth in in vivo animal models. These results postulate the potential role of vitamin D3 for an effective, safe, nonsurgical medical treatment option for uterine fibroids."
Another study in the Journal Reproductive Biology out of Meharry Medical College demonstrated that vitamin D can reduce fibroid size in a rat model. Of course, we need more study in order to determine if this is the case in humans, but it does appear that vitamin D deficiency plays a major role in the development of fibroids and that supplementation may be beneficial.
How do you know if you are deficient? The best thing to do is to visit your practitioner at the GIC and get your vitamin D levels checked. If you have fibroids and are deficient, we can prescribe specialized doses in order to get you back on track, since the vitamin shop may not have what you need. We can also monitor your progress with ultrasound and determine if there is fibroid shrinkage.
Come visit us. More to come on scientifically supported alternative fibroid treatments!
Yours in Health,
Nicole E. Williams, MD, FACOG, FACS