9 Home Remedies To Help Manage Fibroids: At-Home Options

Fibroids are very common growths in the uterus. They are non-cancerous and made of muscle and fibrous tissue. Many women have no symptoms of fibroids but some can cause heavy bleeding, pain, feeling of pressure, or difficulty urinating. For many patients, safe at-home management of fibroid symptoms is realistic and empowering. Knowing when to seek medical care for symptoms is important. In addition to home management, women with fibroids can use lifestyle and self-care techniques such as maintaining a balanced diet and regular physical activity, stress management, good sleep, obtaining optimal levels of vitamin D, and monitoring symptoms to manage how fibroids affect her lifestyle. Fibroids cannot be “cured,” and women who have heavy bleeding, severe pain, or concerns about her ability to have children in the future should seek diagnostic evaluation.

Why It Matters

You may never have heard of the impact that fibroids can have on a woman’s life until it happens to you. In addition to pain and pressure, fibroids can cause women to experience heavy bleeding, fatigue, time off work and iron-deficiency anemia. Fibroids growing in the pelvis can cause swelling and frequent nighttime waking. Many women with fibroids suffer from daily pelvic cramps and anxiety and stress from never knowing when their symptoms will flare up. Any small reduction in these symptoms can make a big difference for women, and for the health care system.

Many women with fibroids require more than just watchful waiting; some need surgical or interventional therapy. However, for many women, conservative management is a good first line approach. Women with fibroids are highly individualized; the size, number, and location of fibroids can vary between women, as well as the resulting symptoms. While some women have fibroids that are stable and symptomatic to a moderate degree, for other women symptoms may wax and wane. Therefore, an educated plan that uses various home management techniques, as well as judicious medical therapy, can help reduce symptoms, planned office visits, and thereby inform decisions about when to use specific treatments.

There are many good home health approaches to managing fibroids, but there is a point at which self care is not enough. Heavy bleeding can cause the woman to become anemic and require iron supplements. Heavy bleeding or pain caused by fibroids can be a sign of a more serious condition that requires immediate medical evaluation. In addition, a woman may find that her fibroids are causing fertility problems or recurrent miscarriage. Or, the woman may be concerned about the rapid growth of a fibroid. Any good home management plan includes criteria for escalating care – “escalation criteria” that tell the woman when she needs to contact her clinician for evaluation. Therefore, it is helpful to establish these criteria before beginning any home health management for fibroids.

There are also important equity and policy considerations given that specialty care is not equally distributed between communities and individuals. Many communities have long wait times to get seen in gynecology, limited access to imaging studies, and very high costs of medications and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Therefore, low-cost, low-risk self-care approaches can be a valuable interim bridge if patients are clearly informed by clinicians of the level of symptom relief expected, as well as any potential complications. Finally, health systems can play a vital role in supporting the use of conservative management for conditions treated in Family Medicine by covering nutrition counseling, smoking cessation programs, vitamin testing, and/or follow-up in telehealth visits.

What At-Home Care Can and Cannot Do

While Home Health Care can soothe symptoms and improve general health, it is NOT a substitute for correct diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning. Fibroids remain the same size, slowly increase in size, or on rare occasions, can grow very rapidly. There is no correlation between the size of the fibroids and the severity of the symptoms. Therefore, while Home Health Care can help to ease bleeding symptoms, reduce pain, increase energy, balance hormones, and support a healthy metabolism, it should be done in coordination with your clinician and its effects monitored so that your treatment plan can be adjusted as needed to get the best results.

When to Seek Medical Care Quickly

Some of these symptoms may need medical evaluation even if you are using home treatments for your symptoms. For example: Soaking through pads and/or tampons every hour for hours at a time Dizziness or fainting Large blood clots Chest pain or shortness of breath Severe pelvic pain Fever New change in pregnancy-related bleeding Heavy bleeding over several months that worsens over time Fatigue Suspected anemia Symptoms worsen that affect bladder and/or bowel rapidly Enlarging abdominal mass Symptoms interfere with attempts to become pregnant Why It Affects You

Fibroids are growths in the uterus that affect premenopausal women and postmenopausal women with a uterus. Many women with fibroids are unaware that they have the condition and only find out when they have an ultrasound for another reason. For others, fibroids can bring considerable discomfort, interfering with normal life. Fibroid symptoms vary among women, but may include heavy menstrual bleeding and cramping, pelvic pressure, lower back pain, frequent urination, constipation, and painful sex. Many women with symptoms of fibroids are anemic and tired, but for most women with fibroid symptoms, it is not life threatening, and they look to at-home relief of their symptoms while they weigh their options with their doctor.

Most women with fibroids have minimal or no symptoms. However, for women planning for pregnancy or wanting to maintain their option for future childbearing, the impact of fibroids will depend on their size and location. While healthy lifestyle choices (e.g. diet, exercise) can support general health, women planning for pregnancy or wanting to preserve childbearing options should not delay seeking an appropriate evaluation. Your clinician will help you determine if your fibroids may pose a risk to your fertility or impact your pregnancy and outline options that are right for you. Clearly outline follow-up and symptom monitoring in your woman’s health home plan for women who are planning pregnancy or trying to maintain options for future childbearing.

Health care providers including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives and gynecologists can educate patients (and their families) about safe and effective conservative management of fibroid symptoms. Many women and their medical providers self-manage fibroid disease. Providers can help women make informed choices about low-risk healthy lifestyle choices (diet, vitamins, nutritional supplements) and pain management strategies to control their fibroid symptoms while avoiding adverse interactions between medications and nutritional supplements for which they have not informed their health care provider. Providers also should assess for anemia (by measuring iron levels) and determine if a vitamin D level for screening for bone disease is indicated. Providers also establish criteria for use of imaging and referral to a surgeon for management of fibroid disease.

In addition to the women who are diagnosed with fibroids, many health systems, payers, and employers are also affected by the condition. Both symptomatic women and her medical providers can spend a lot of time waiting, running to the emergency department for unexpected bleeding, and seeking tests and treatments. While benefits like healthy living time off, primary and preventive care, and telehealth can support a woman with fibroids on a day-to-day basis to manage her symptoms, community health workers and patient advocates with the right training can support education and navigation to affordable care for women with fibroids.

Why Education and Cultural Competence Matter

What Changes: Clear Education about Fibroids for Patients? Clear, respectful education about fibroids can help patients to identify symptoms early and make safe choices, particularly in communities where fibroids are common or severe. Patients may have their own beliefs about menstruation, dietary or nutritional supplements or traditional or complementary therapies for fibroids. Patients and their clinicians may encounter barriers, such as cost, transportation, or time off from work. As clinicians, we can enhance adherence to our recommendations by providing patients with realistic choices, helping the patient identify warning signs of complications, and jointly developing a treatment plan that takes the patient’s reality into account. Clear education about fibroids can help to reduce stigma around heavy bleeding and facilitate earlier evaluation for symptoms.

• Practical self-care can reduce symptom burden and delay or reduce the need for medical or surgical interventions.
• Clinicians should integrate home-management guidance into routine care plans and use clear escalation criteria so patients know when to seek treatment.
• Health systems and payers can improve outcomes by covering supportive services (nutrition, smoking cessation, vitamin screening) and expanding access to minimally invasive treatments when needed.

Home approaches that patients and clinicians often use

While specific uses of these techniques at home are best left to the clinical discretion and recommendations of treating professionals, some common methods are typically included in a conservative approach of care. The aim is to reduce symptoms, address possible causes of pain and dysfunction, and foster healthy and optimal movement and posture.

1) Exercise: Exercise in ANY amount is helpful in weight management, circulation and overall health. While it is unlikely to shrink fibroids on its own, it can decrease menstrual pain and allow a woman with fibroids to better manage the symptoms by keeping her hormone levels in a healthy range as long as she is at a healthy weight. A combination of cardio and weight training will keep the body in balance. She should work out within her limitations and pain level, as there is no need to injure herself in the name of health.

2) Balanced, plant-forward weight loss diet – Eating a 2) balanced, plant-forward weight loss diet may help decrease symptoms of fibroids. Even if fibroids are not curable with diet, a 2) balanced, plant-forward weight loss diet containing a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods can promote optimal health and help make it easier to maintain weight loss because they are so filling. While there is no magic food that can protect a woman from fibroids, there is strong evidence that a weight loss diet that includes less highly processed foods with high amounts of salt and more whole foods can decrease inflammation and foster overall metabolic health.

3) Eating / taking foods/supplements with awareness of their effects – Patients can benefit from consuming green tea and turmeric (curcumin). Both have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea and turmeric can be consumed through the diet (in foods or drinks) and taken as supplements in moderate amounts. It is very important to let patients know that these foods/supplements are not cures for psoriasis and can have interactions with prescribed medications. Patients should also be aware of the caffeine content in green tea and the widely varying quality of over the counter supplements.

4) Vitamin D Optimization: Typically, adequate Vitamin D is obtained in the diet and in exposure to the sun. However, sometimes supplemental amounts are required and can be prescribed. While not a standalone treatment, it is a safe and effective addition to conservative therapy and promotes general tissue health.

5) Tobacco and alcohol moderation – Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption has been associated with many negative health effects. Not smoking and moderate use of alcohol (especially beer) is an important risk-reducing behaviour for fibroids and promotes good cardiovascular and reproductive health.

6) Know your sodium intake and the highly processed nature of much of today’s diet – high-sodium and highly processed foods can increase your risk for heart disease and can also worsen symptoms of some of the gynecologic conditions that plague women. By choosing foods that are less processed and avoiding foods that are pickled or canned, women can benefit from a very anti-inflammatory diet.

7) Stress management and sleep – Stress and sleep problems can worsen symptoms of inflammation and pain. Find ways to reduce stress such as exercise, breathing, yoga or other relaxation activities.

8) Symptom-Focused Self Care: Learn over the counter pain relievers and heat packs and products that can help maximize comfort throughout the day. Discuss safe use of analgesics and non-prescription alternatives for period pain with your doctor or healthcare provider to ensure you are not overusing any products and find alternatives that will not have negative interactions with any medications you are currently taking.

9) Monitoring and communication—Keeping a symptom diary (bleeding pattern, pain, pressure, urinary changes) to tailor management and know when to order imaging or referral to a specialist; establishing clear criteria for patient’s progression to urgent evaluation (e.g. very heavy bleeding, signs of anemia).

Clinical decision-making and trade-offs

Home treatment of symptoms has several benefits. It is less expensive than a doctor’s office visit, less risky, and empowering for patients. But there are potential risks for patients and providers alike. Shared decision making is critical. Patients and their healthcare providers must discuss the likelihood of major symptoms, the home treatment options for those symptoms, and the follow-up plan that fits best. Providers must also consider a patient’s interest in or fear of reproduction, as well as their overall health status.

For some women, however, the best treatment for uterine anomalies will be medical therapy or surgery. Less invasive procedures such as hormonal or destruction of portions of the uterine tissue also exist. An individualized approach must be taken based on the severity of her symptoms, her desire for future childbearing, and her perception of quality of life.

System-level and forward-looking perspective

Future research directions that address the needs of women with uterine fibroids include expanding insurance coverage for the symptoms of fibroids for conservative therapies such as nutrition counseling, smoking cessation, and vitamin testing as well as training healthcare providers to offer these therapies and fertility-sparing medical therapy. In addition, there is a need for the continued development of non-invasive therapies and biomarkers to predict which fibroids will become symptomatic. The goal of these future endeavors is to decrease the unnecessary surgical procedures for uterine fibroids and to give women better management of their symptoms over time.

For policymakers/payers the opportunity is to support the development of scalable, evidence-based self management, balanced with access to timely specialist assessment and effective minimally invasive treatments. For clinicians the challenge is to provide patients with effective at-home advice and monitoring/referral pathways that are safe, effective and patient-centred for conservative management.

For many women, thoughtful, evidence-based management of their fibroids at home can be a useful complement to their medical care. When combined with good communication, thoughtful escalation criteria and fair access to medical options, strategies for home management of fibroids can help women successfully manage their condition and carry out their daily activities, while ultimately meeting her reproductive goals over time.

References:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9256340/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4859848/