By Womaness Editors 1-Minute Read
Welcome to ASK AN EXPERT, a series where we pose your real questions to our menopause experts for the intel you need. Need an answer? Post your question on The After Party, our private Facebook Group.
Your Question:
“I'm 48 years old and in perimenopause. I have several large fibroids. I've heard that they could shrink on their own once I go through menopause. Is this true?”
The Answer:
From Dr. Ekta Kapoor, endocrinologist, Mayo Clinic:
“Yes, they likely will because fibroid tissue is very sensitive to estrogen. But then again, it also depends.
The management depends on what your symptoms are right now, as the duration of perimenopause can be highly variable. For some women, it can last for years and years.
So if these fibroids are now symptomatic—either they're causing you to have a lot of bleeding, which can put you into anemia, or you are having mechanical symptoms—it's not easy to just hang our hat on the fact that eventually they'll get better because we don't know when that will eventually be. The management really has to be dictated by how bad are the symptoms right now.
If these are decent size fibroids and are causing symptoms, then something probably ought to be done about them. It can be a nuanced discussion, so talking about it with your healthcare provider is very important.”
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