Fibroids Weight Gain

For many women, it’s tough enough to keep the weight under control. More than 40 percent of women over the age of 40 are considered overweight in the United States. And that’s the same demographic that’s at the highest risk of developing fibroids, which can add extra weight to your body. Don’t let fibroids ruin your physique or your health. Call the Astra Fibroid Treatment Specialists in Brooklyn and Bronx to deal with fibroids and lose those unwanted pounds.

What Are Fibroids?

Fibroids are benign muscular growths inside or outside your uterus. While these tumors are rarely cancerous, it’s still recommended that you get effective treatment quickly, as fibroids can cause physical symptoms. To prevent or eliminate symptoms like fibroids’ weight gain, early diagnosis allows a fibroids specialist to start early treatment.

The Brooklyn and Bronx-based practice of the Astra Fibroid Treatment Specialists, founded by Dr. George Bolotin, offers tests to find, identify and treat your fibroids. This acclaimed Interventional Radiologist can also tell if your tumor is benign or not. Let him handle all your fibroid complications with the latest medical technology and practices.

What Causes Fibroids?

The exact causes of fibroids remain unclear, but some factors seem to promote their growth, including:

• Pregnancy
• Genetic factors, as women with a family history of fibroids, tend to get them
• Ethnicity, with African-American women at a higher risk of fibroids
• Age, as older women are more at risk

For most women, fibroids are asymptomatic, but others suffer from a wide range of fibroid symptoms that affect the quality of life.

Is My Weight Gain Due to Fibroids?

Most fibroids are small and barely noticeable, but as they get bigger, they weigh more, leading to pounds showing up on your scale. The larger uterine tumors can lead to significant physical changes, which include weight gain. They take up space in your uterus and you get a feeling of bloating similar to that of being pregnant. The effects of fibroids on your weight or appearance depend on the location of the fibroid in or on the uterus. For example:

• Subserosal fibroids grow on the outer walls of the uterus and when enlarged, push on nearby organs, making them protrude.
• Pedunculated fibroids are a type of fibroid that grows on a stalk connected to the inside or outside of the uterus. The stalks can add more weight.
• Submucosal fibroids grow just underneath the uterine lining and may impact your bladder more than anything else.
• Intramural fibroids are the most common type and grow inside the uterine wall. You can have one fibroid or clusters that range from five to 35 or more, making weight gain more inevitable.

Fibroids generally range in size from one centimeter, the size of a pea, to more than 10 centimeters, the size of a grapefruit. They can even get as big as a watermelon. Your fibroids specialist examines the location and condition of these tumors through imaging tests such as fibroid ultrasound, MRI, and lab work. From the tests, the doctor determines whether your weight gain is due to fibroids or from other causes.

What Are the Risks of Fibroids Weight Gain?

Fibroids lead to a number of other symptoms that are painful and uncomfortable. Large fibroids and multiple clusters cause even more risks, including:

• Extended stomach, especially with a group of large fibroids
• Pressure on your bladder and lungs
• Swelling in your kidneys
• Other complications in internal organs
• Increased risk of blood clots or ruptures
• Reduced capacity to exercise and perform other physical activities that can lead to further weight gain

If you notice any of these complications, consult a fibroids specialist at the Brooklyn and Bronx fibroids center of Dr. Bolotin. With the most advanced technology, he chooses the most appropriate and least invasive option from the available fibroid treatments.

What Are the Other Symptoms of Fibroids?

Besides an enlarged uterus and weight gain, fibroids also cause other effects on your body, such as:

• Bleeding
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Severe menstrual cramps
• Heavy periods
• Problems passing bowel movements
• Infertility
• Complications in cases of fibroids during pregnancy
• A need to urinate frequently
• Pelvic pain
• A bloated feeling
• Back pain
• Constipation

How Do I Stop Fibroids Weight Gain?

To treat weight gain from fibroids, Dr. Bolotin looks at the underlying condition, the proliferation of your fibroids. Removing them and preventing their growth helps return you to your normal weight. Some treatments available for fibroids include:

• Fibroid removal through minimally invasive surgery
• Non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures such as uterine fibroid embolization, endometrial ablation and myolysis
• Hormone treatments
• Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers
• Birth control pills

Dr. Bolotin considers multiple factors to decide on the best treatment for you to combat fibroid’s weight gain. With an accurate diagnosis, treatment starts early and you don’t suffer the severe physical and emotional side effects that come with excess weight gain.

The team at the practice of Astra Fibroid Treatment Specialists in Brooklyn, NY and Bronx, NY, has the expertise, equipment, and passion to provide the best care for your fibroids. Contact the team today and start your journey to a happier life.