Real Solutions - Fibroid Awareness, Caregiver Stress, and More
July is Fibroid Awareness Month and this year’s theme is “Real Solutions”. If you aren’t familiar with this condition, which up to 80% of women will experience by age 50, we’ve got the basics in today’s Tasting Menu.
Our “what the health?!?” moment came this week with new guidelines for hormone therapy during menopause with updated research on cancer risk. More on that in The Latest.
On the plus side, we also discovered that women's vision is more acute at distinguishing between differences in color, especially at the middle part of the color spectrum. That might explain Maggie’s necklace collection - or it might not.
Huge thanks to everyone who takes a few moments to give us feedback through the survey at the end of newsletter. We appreciate it, read all the feedback, and take your suggestions.
Stay cool and keep up that thirst for knowledge about your body and health!
The journey continues,
Maggie Ruvoldt & Stephanie Majercik
The Tasting Menu
The Basics of Uterine Fibroids
Caring for Caregiver Stress
Where Is All This Hair Coming From?
The Basics on Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids sound scary - especially when the definition includes the word “tumor”. More specifically, they are noncancerous tumors that tend to pop up during a woman’s childbearing years.
In the U.S. alone, there are approximately 26 million women between the ages of 15-50 with uterine fibroids. So, the questions running through your mind are probably similar to the ones we had: can they hurt me, what causes them, and how do I find out if I have them?
Can they hurt me?
Uterine fibroids are benign and not associated with cancers - i.e. if you have or get them, it's not an indication that you’re at greater risk for say, uterine cancer. They also shouldn’t affect your fertility, unless they somehow interfere with the lining of the uterus. Symptoms of uterine fibroids can include:
Heavy and long-lasting periods (a week or more)
Pain or pressure in your pelvis
Frequent urination
Backache and leg pain
So, they’re relatively harmless and painless to most, but if you’ve got pain that won’t go away or severe bleeding, definitely see your doctor!
What causes them? Unfortunately, we don’t really know. Research points to changes in genetics, hormones, or stem cells, but there’s no specific cause (or risk factors) to warn you of.
How do I know if I have them? Most uterine fibroids tend to be found incidentally during a pelvic exam or ultrasound. An MRI, Hysteroscopy, or Hysterosonography among other tests may also be used to determine their location and size.
The last question we haven’t asked yet, is how are fibroids treated? There’s a few different options from simple pain medications, different types of contraceptives to reduce symptoms, all the way to different surgical procedures. In some instances, fibroids may also shrink on their own.
Caring for Caregiver Stress
“Informal caregivers” provide unpaid care for an adult in their lives with health or daily functioning needs. That doesn’t count the care parents are providing for their children.
If you are among the 53 million or more informal caregivers in the US, you are experiencing some level of stress. (You probably didn’t need us to tell you that!)
Caregivers report that the support they give impacts their work, financial situation, and health. It is so significant that the CDC is calling it a public health crisis.
Stress for caregivers has real health impacts, such as increased rates of chronic illnesses and weakened immune systems. The symptoms of caregiver stress include:
Sleep disturbances (too much or too little)
Lost interest in activities you previously enjoyed
Emotional changes such as becoming easily irritated or feeling overwhelmed
Headaches and body aches
Short-term memory issues
Prioritizing your needs is the only way you’ll be able to sustain the care of your loved one. There are a variety of ways to address the strain of caregiving:
Respite care, whether in-home health aides or care center programs.
Simplify sharing updates with family and friends through websites like CaringBridge
Joining support groups
Set your own (achievable) healthcare goals, such as keeping doctor’s appointments or walking 10 minutes a day.
Resources for caregivers
Community Resource Finder from The Alzheimer’s Association and AARP
Where Is All This Hair Coming From?
Yes, body hair is normal, natural, and beautiful - whether you grow it out or remove it. But, as we’ve aged, we can’t be the only ones who have noticed hair growing in places it hadn’t before.
Some places hair has popped up for us over the years: chin, chest, just under the belly button (but above the bikini area), and toes. A few hairs here and there is completely normal, but if you start to notice excessive hair growth in these areas - especially chin, chest, or lower abdomen - it could indicate a bigger health problem.
Excessive hair growth is a condition known as hirsutism, where you may have coarse dark hair growing on your face, chin, back, or abdomen. Its generally caused by an increase in androgenic hormones (like testosterone), these increases could be due to side effects of certain medications or a symptom of another health condition.
So, what might cause you to have an increase in androgens? Your birth control could be one culprit. In some cases, birth control is used to treat hirsutism, but other types of birth control may be the cause. Frustrating and confusing, amiright? Essentially, not all hormones are created equal and some hormonal birth control may be more androgenic leading to additional hair growth.
Hair growth may also be a symptom of PCOS or Cushing’s Syndrome. Both of these can impact your hormone levels and lead to unwanted hairs. And those pesky chin and other body hairs are also just a sign that we’re getting older. As we age and enter the postmenopause phase, we just get hairier. Something else to look forward to!
TL;DR? Hair growth on the chin and around your body is normal, but if it's happening a lot and popping up in places it never has, it may be worth talking to your doctor to make sure there are not bigger issues at play.
Medical Term of the Week
A perinatologist is an OB-GYN who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. In addition to their training as an OB-GYN, they complete a 3-year fellowship or training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Their approach to assessment and care will vary depending on the reason for your referral to a perinatologist.
The Latest
There are new guidelines for hormone therapy in menopause. The guidance around cancer risk has changed opening new treatment for women. (from Contemporary OBGYN 4 minutes)
Many medical devices weren’t designed with women’s bodies in mind, even when they are for women’s bodies. And they haven’t gotten an update. SmartDesign looks at two companies redesigning speculums and support for pelvic floor. (from SmartDesign 6 minutes)
A host of changes in menopause contribute to weight gain. Dr. Katherine Saunders penned a piece to help women look at their options to combat it. (from Medika Life 4 minutes)
A new hotline for suicide has rolled out nationwide. Replacing a hard to remember and long 800 number, 988 is the new single number. (from AP 4 minute read)