Uterine Fibroids Awareness and Our Health Supported By Yoga and Astrology

Before the month comes to a close I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that July is Fibroid Awareness Month. This annual observance raises awareness of uterine fibroids.

What are uterine fibroids? They are a condition in which fibroids (benign tumors aka noncancerous) develop and potentially grow in the uterus. It is estimated that by the age of 50 approximately 80% of women will develop them. Many women will never know they have uterine fibroids and may have no symptoms. But for others, uterine fibroid symptoms can present in varied ways such as heavy and/or painful periods, bowel or bladder dysfunction, or pelvic pain.

In January 2022, Representative David Scott from Georgia introduced House Resolution 879 to support designating July 2022 as Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month in the United States. This resolution stated that hysterectomy is the most common surgical treatment for uterine fibroids and that more than 200,000 are performed each year to treat the condition at an estimated annual cost of more than $2,000,000,000. It also stated that uterine fibroids cost the United States an estimated $5,900,000,000 to $34,400,000,000 annually with an estimated annual lost work cost of $1,600,000,000 to $17,200,000,000 through absenteeism and short term disability in women ages 25 to 54. It was referred to the Subcommittee on Health but there are no further updates provided.

My own uterine fibroid diagnosis finally gave me an explanation for my heavy periods and pain. I spent the next year exploring options outside of a hysterectomy. There are many and more are coming to market. If you are dealing with this condition, please do your research and discuss all options with your medical provider.

Yoga was a profound pain reliever for me in my experience with uterine fibroids. In addition to a consistent and targeted yoga practice (I’ll share my go-to sequence with you soon!) I explored other modalities to address the root cause of my condition. I also utilized acupuncture, Chinese medicinal herbs, diet changes and conventional talk therapy to bring my body back into balance over the course of a few months. I felt better in my body and through my cycles than I had in years.

Unfortunately, prior to this therapy approach my fibroids had grown to a size that they were not going to shrink back from and my follow-up ultrasound a year after diagnosis showed that while they hadn’t grown any larger, they hadn’t gotten smaller. One of my symptoms that had not gone away due to the size of the fibroids was bladder dysfunction and I made the decision to have a hysterectomy.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t initially want the surgery. I fought hard against it. Even though I had multiple women in my life who had dealt with this condition and expressed how good they felt after their hysterectomies I felt like it wasn’t the right choice for me. Like I wasn’t doing my best for my body and that I could turn it around. It wasn’t until a conversation with my therapist where everything clicked.

I started to piece together a puzzle that when it was whole showed me how much my emotional landscape was impacting my health. I learned that many of my therapists' female patients have also been diagnosed with large uterine fibroids. By holding so much stress and emotion inside for so long at the second chakra,  it’s likely that stagnation develops. Energy doesn’t flow optimally. It also doesn’t help that I had a desk job sitting at a computer for hours every day - a physical stagnation. I am sure there were more factors at play but they all led me to this point.

And while my fibroid wasn’t shrinking, I was being given an opportunity to move past this part of my life. My hysterectomy was, in my mind, an analogy of breaking free of and moving past my conditioning and repression.

Astrology supported me in processing my diagnosis and choice for surgery. It was around this time that I found Medical Astrology. Digging into the study I discovered that I had multiple points in my natal chart that related to issues that could contribute to my condition developing. I don’t see this as good or bad. It’s what it is and what I had to deal with, learn and grow from. We’ll explore Medical Astrology and how it can show up in your own natal chart in my Yoga Luna course. Sign up for the waitlist to be the first to know when it launches.

To give you a glimpse into how astrology was visible in my own surgery story, I chose a date for my surgery based on intuition and when I looked at the chart for that day, transiting planets made substantial aspects to my natal chart:

-Transiting Mars was conjunct my natal Moon and North Node conjunction. Mars transiting the North Node can reflect a potential for initiation. 

-Jupiter (often thought of in relation to expansion and growth) was transiting through my 6th house. In traditional astrology, the 6th house is related to health and healing. Jupiter was also conjunct my natal Eris (the feminine equivalent, sister, of Mars) on the date of my surgery.

All of this to say that astrology and the transits didn’t cause my condition and they didn’t choose the date of my surgery. But I believe that the energy supported me in making my decision to act when I did and how I did. And I felt supported that I made a choice that was powerful and supportive of my karma. I share all of this to inspire you to review your own charts and find support in them.

Coming back to uterine fibroid awareness, the cause of uterine fibroids is not clearly understood. The FDA states that the cause is unknown. Two resources that I’ve come across and found helpful in understanding women’s health are Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life by Dr. Claudia Welch, MSOM and Overcoming Estrogen Dominance by Magdalena Wszelaki, CH, HHC.

A lot of factors are at play in our health and well being. So much is still being discovered and understood scientifically. There is little doubt that our mental state, emotional state, and physical state all play a role.

Yoga can help us impact each of these in a positive way to support ourselves holistically. Specific to uterine health, focus on yoga poses that increase circulation and reduce stagnation in the abdomen and uterus. Consider incorporating some of these poses in your practice: Cobbler Pose, Seated Forward Fold, Cobra Pose, Bow Pose, Locust Pose, Bridge Pose, or Legs Up The Wall.

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