I’ve been fairly transparent on social media about my recent diagnosis of fibroids before the Christmas holiday. I went to my PCP back in November for my yearly wellness exam. I mentioned over the last few months my lower abdomen felt hard, I’m always bloated despite working out often and sticking to a strict meal plan, and I experienced pelvic pain from time to time. My Black doctor told me my abdomen felt fine to her and I should consider making diet changes. For the first time I was advocating for myself in a doctor’s office. After asking her to take my concerns more seriously, she agreed to a pelvic ultrasound which revealed I had intramural fibroids. My largest fibroid currently sits on top of my bladder and measures at a size equivalent to a 14 week old fetus. The other 3 are pushing against my spine around 3-4cm each. Because of the size of my largest fibroid, doctors were surprised I wasn’t in worse condition. Most doctors recommended I get on birth control, continue my vitamin routine until menopause, or wait until I’m serious about having kids. Why am I not entitled to a healthy womb as a single Black Woman in America? Types of fibroid removal surgeries I explored: - Myomectomy - Accessa - Uterine Fibroid Embolization - Oriahnn (medication) I opted for a combination surgery of a Myomectomy + Accessa. The Myomectomy is the most invasive and will remove my largest fibroid. I decided to not remove all fibroids with this method due to the lack of guarantee that doctors can remove them all and I didn’t want to keep cutting through my uterine wall. I also chose Accessa which has only been around a few years. Accessa is minimally invasive and uses a laparoscopic camera and ultrasound view in real-time so physicians can identify and treat all locations of fibroids. My ultimate goal is to preserve my uterus as much as possible with minimal scarring. 80% of Black Women will experience fibroids before the age of 50. For some reason we aren’t talking about reproductive issues in black families. It’s insane to think about how many of my ancestors probably suffered in silence. Generations after you deserve healing too. Surgery date: 02.22.22 🤍