Uterine Fibroids and Hysterectomy - Lifestyle Changes

Highlights	Complications	Other Procedures
Introduction	Diagnosis	Hysterectomy
Causes	Lifestyle Changes	Resources
Symptoms	Medications	References
Risk Factors	Surgery

Lifestyle Changes

Because fibroids are almost never life threatening, watchful waiting is a reasonable option for many women, particularly if they are approaching menopause (even if the fibroid is large).

Regular Monitoring

Any woman who chooses watchful waiting should be sure other causes of heavy bleeding have been ruled out. She should also have regular pelvic examinations and ultrasounds performed to monitor the growth of the fibroid.

Dietary Factors for Preventing Anemia

Foods for Maintaining Healthy Iron Stores. The following are some suggestions for increasing iron levels in the diet:

The best foods for increasing or maintaining healthy iron levels contain absorbable iron, called heme iron. Such foods include (in order of iron-richness) clams, oysters, organ meats, beef, pork, poultry, and fish.
About 60% of iron in meat is poorly absorbed; this is a form called non-heme iron. Eggs, dairy products, and vegetables that contain iron only have the non-heme form. Such plants include dried beans and peas, iron-fortified cereals, bread, and pasta products, dark green leafy vegetables (chard, spinach, mustard greens, kale), dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. (One study reported that even though non-heme iron is normally less easily absorbed, people who were iron deficient absorbed 10 times the amount of non-heme iron as people with normal iron levels.)
Increasing intake of vitamin-C rich foods can enhance absorption of non-heme iron during a single meal, although regular intake of vitamin C does not appear to have any significant effect on iron stores. In any case, vitamin-C rich foods are healthful and include broccoli, cabbage, citrus fruits, melon, tomatoes, and strawberries. One orange or six ounces of orange juice can double the amount of iron your body absorbs from plant foods.

Like most vitamins, vitamin C may be obtained in the recommended amount with a well-balanced diet, including some enriched or fortified foods.

Foods containing riboflavin (vitamin B2) may help enhance the response of hemoglobin to iron. Sources include liver, dried fortified cereals, and yogurt.
Cooking in cast iron pans and skillets is known to increase iron content of food. According to one study, however, boiling, steaming, or stir-frying many vegetables in utensils composed of any material significantly increases the release of iron stored in plants so it is available to the body.
Certain nutrients, such as tannin (found in tea) or phytic acid (found in foods such as seeds and bran) impede the body's absorption of dietary iron. (It is commonly believed that fiber impedes iron absorption, but researchers report that it most likely has no effect.)