By Victoria Mejicanos 
AFRO Intern

Historically treated as simply “bad periods,” uterine fibroids impact 80 percent of Black women, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but what happens after treatment of fibroids is equally as important for the health outcomes of Black women struggling with a very common health issue.

Dr. Nekia Barrow, an OBGYN with MedStar Health, shared that although further research is needed about fibroids overall, there are some things known about its correlation with diet.  

“What we do know is that diet – high and sort of fatty foods, red meat, beef dairy certain processed foods – can definitely increase the risk of fibroids growing and symptoms from the fibroids,” she said.

The reproductive health physician also pointed to a link between fibroids and vitamin D deficiency, which Black Americans struggle with, according to the NIH. 

Dr. Ashley Davis, who is an endometriosis excision and fibroid surgeon, said that fibroids are tied to inflammation, so finding foods that are anti-inflammatory are the most helpful. Davis shared that she understands changes in diet are not always easy. 

“My advice to people is usually finding what you can add to your diet and less, then, about what you can take away,” said Davis. 

She said that a resource that is often under utilized are registered dietitians, whose services can be covered by insurance. “Dietians are specialized in behavior change so they can tell you what food are rich in which vitamins and how to incorporate more vegetables into your diet and kind of teach you gradually,” said Davis.  

Carol Johnson, a board certified patient advocate and creator of the Uterine Kind app, shared with the AFRO that she puts “stress and diet in the same box because they both can disrupt the endocrine system.” She shared that lots of foods and even their packaging can have endocrine disruptors in them. 

Barrow added that researchers recently found endocrine disruptors in hair relaxers which can cause fibroids to grow. 

“Our bodies are very effective at eliminating toxins, but in today’s environment, we are exposing ourselves to an extraordinary amount of endocrine disrupting chemicals, and so it’s no wonder that we’re experiencing a pretty consistent rise in conditions that are known to disrupt the endocrine system,” said Johnson.

In terms of stress, both doctors who spoke with the AFRO said that stress can cause a rise in cortisol, which directly impacts menstrual cycles overall. 

Johnson mentioned the book “Legacy” by Dr. Uche Blackstock that discusses the concept of “wethering” which is used to describe the subtly damaging daily stressors that Black women exist under, and how that impacts their health outcomes. 

Davis said that some lifestyle changes she recommends after treatment usually are meant to address stress. She tells patients to examine their lives, including their friend circles, family and even their jobs and see what can lessen their stress.

Exercise can often be a great tool in reducing stress. And it doesn’t have to be in the steel and concrete confines of a gym. Going dancing, hiking, swimming or taking a brisk walk along a scenic path can be enjoyable forms of exercise and stress relievers.

Both doctors concluded that the best way to manage fibroids after treatment doesn’t just come from various lifestyle changes, but continuing to be proactive about care and seeing a doctor for regular checkups to monitor development of fibroids. Another important factor is to not be dismissive of severe symptoms, despite how normalized they are. Such symptoms include bleeding through clothing, large clots or pain that doesn’t go away with medication. 

Being proactive about care also means finding the right fit, according to Davis. “Look for someone that is a fibroid specialist or generally just someone that will listen to you.”