Through our fibroids publications, we aim to provide useful, simple and straightforward information on fibroids. We have produced a fibroids booklet, reviewed by healthcare professionals and women with fibroids; are creating a series of fact sheets on areas that women have highlighted are important to them and have also produced a report summarising a small piece of research we conducted to explore the needs of black women with fibroids.

Booklets and Reports

Understanding the Needs of Women with Fibroids

We conducted some research to understand the experience of African and African-Caribbean women with fibroids. This work explored the needs of women with fibroids and determined if women had access to enough information and support. Our findings then informed the development of our fibroids information and support programme.

You can read our report here.

Publication date:  21st January 2015

Redesign: July 2019

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Fibroids Booklet

Our booklet provides much-needed information on all aspects of fibroids from symptoms and risk factors to treatment and prevention. It aims to ensure that women have accurate, reliable information about fibroids. We hope this booklet will be a one-stop-shop for anyone with questions or concerns about fibroids.

You can read the booklet here.

Publication date: 29th July 2015

Our booklet will be updated in 2020

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Fact Sheets

Fibroids and Exercise – in this fact sheet we discuss how exercise may help with alleviating symptoms and provide readers with simple tips on how to get active without aggravating their current symptoms.

Updated: March 2019

Download here:  Fibroids and Exercise Fact Sheet

Acknowledgements: We’d like to thank Candice Bryan from Noire Wellness for contributing to this fact sheet and Way Wive Wordz Publishing, Editing and Tuition.

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Fibroids and Your Emotional Wellbeing: this fact sheet aims to help women identify, understand and address the emotions that may be associated with having fibroids.

Updated: April 2019

Download here:  Fibroids and Your Emotional Wellbeing

Acknowledgements: We’d like to thank Olivia Haltman from OH Counselling Services for co-authoring this fact sheet and Way Wive Wordz Publishing, Editing and Tuition for editing this document.

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Infographics

Fibroids and COVID-19: this comprehensive infographic explores how the COVID-19 pandemic may be affecting fibroids patients and provides some self-care and stress management tips to help women cope during this challenging time.

Published: 18th May 2020

Download here: Fibroids and COVID-19 Infographic

Reviewed by: Dr Oduntan, District Medical Officer, St Kitts and Nevis

You can download a list of the references used to prepare this infographic here

We would like to thank our volunteer, Mariana Ndrio, a second-year medical student at the UMHS in St Kitts and Nevis for her hard work in preparing this resource.

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What You Need to Know About Fibroids: This infographic provides an overview of fibroids covering what fibroids are, the different types, risk factors, prevention tips and symptoms.

Published: 1st June 2020

Download here: What You Need to Know About Fibroids

You can download a list of references used to prepare this infographic here

We would like to thank Dr Sofia Miah, who recently graduated from the University of Exeter Medical School, for her hard work in preparing this infographic.

This infographic was reviewed by a UK-based gynaecologist.

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We are committed to making all our resources free and easily accessible to all those who need it. You can help us with this commitment by making a donation which will go towards the costs of producing our health information which includes the costs of design, printing and editing. You can make a donation here. Thank you for any help that you can provide.

Please note that our online payments are being managed by JAD Cash,  a comprehensive e-money solution for the Eastern Caribbean countries. All online payments will, therefore, be processed in Eastern Caribbean Dollars (XCD)

Wednesday 4th April, 2018

Today, we touch on the Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s new childhood obesity prevention campaign, why this campaign is important, what policies the HCC is encouraging governments in the Caribbean to introduce to tackle childhood obesity and how you can get involved.

We recently came across this really useful ‘Know Your Flow’ infographic created by Be Prepared.Period. It provides really clear information to help you understand what is normal with regards to your period.

For women with fibroids this infographic may be useful  in assisting you when you’re having a conversation with your doctor during your follow-up appointments.  Using the information provided in this infographic you can describe how heavy your period is and explore with your doctor whether the colour of your period is cause for concern.  This may help your doctor understand whether your symptoms are getting better and whether a particular treatment has been effective.

Check out the infographic below and let us know in the comments section below whether you found this useful or not, and you can find out more about Be Prepared. Period on their website here

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link

Wednesday 28th March, 2018

In this week’s episode we had a really interesting and informative discussion with Olivia Haltman about the emotional impact of fibroids and how women with fibroids can improve their emotional wellbeing.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition has launched their Childhood Obesity Prevention Petition as part of their Civil Society Action Plan for 2017-2019.

The aim of the petition is to raise awareness of childhood obesity in the Caribbean and to influence the region’s leaders to champion and implement critical policies that will improve the health of our children, reduce childhood obesity and prevent the associated non-communicable diseases.

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition plans to present their petition at the CARICOM Heads of Governments Conference in Jamaica in July, which presents the perfect opportunity to raise this issue.

With 1 in 3 children in the Caribbean being overweight or obese urgent action is needed and therefore the HCC needs your help. Please add your voice to the HCC’s call for action to be taken on childhood obesity by signing their petition and encouraging your contacts to do so too.

We can all make a difference and improve our children’s health, and this petition is just the first step.

Thank you for your support. For more information on this campaign and to sign the petition, please visit: www.healthycaribbean.org/yourvoicematters

Welcome back to our gardening and health blog series where we’ve been taking you on a personal journey as we explore the health and wellbeing benefits of gardening for ourselves. Today, Abi Begho is back and this time she’s sharing her experience of growing okra and why she thinks okras are the stars of the show.

Growing okra plants has been fantastic. So far, they have been the star of the show! They seem to absolutely love the hot climate here in St Kitts and have really thrived producing lots and lots of okra pods. We have had so much okra that we ran out of okra recipes and weren’t sure what to do with them – we have made gumbo (multiple times), crispy okra (a few variations), stewed okra and tomatoes (many times), Nigerian okra stew, okra in scrambled eggs (!) and okra in various salads. It’s been a fun experience.

Let’s Start at the Beginning: What is Okra?

Okra also called okro, ochro and ladies fingers is a popular vegetable in West Africa, India and the Southern States of the US. It is a very hardy plant being heat and drought tolerant and as you guessed, it is a tropical plant and doesn’t do well in cold temperatures.

It belongs to the mallow family of plants making it a close relation to the hibiscus (it was hard to believe this until I saw the okra flower myself), cotton and cacao, just to name a few of its cousins.

There are many varieties of okra, I read somewhere there are thousands (who knew! I am learning so much from gardening). Some of the popular varieties of okra are Clemson Spineless,  Red Burgundy, Burgundy, Emerald and Cajun Delight.

Okra is a healthy, tasty addition to your diet containing vitamin B, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and calcium. It is also very high in fibre.

How I Got Started Growing Okra

We love okra so it was one of the first things on my list of things to grow in our garden.

Having read that there are so many varieties of okra, I was a bit confused and unsure about what variety of okra to grow. So I consulted with my trusty friend, YouTube, and the consensus was that Clemson Spineless was a good variety to start with.  So, I headed to the shop and bought a packet of seeds and planted several of them  in a container.

I was shocked by how quickly the seeds germinated. I expected them to germinate in 5-7 days, but just three days later I had little seedlings growing happily in my container.  I left them for a week or so and then transplanted them into the garden, being careful with the roots, as they are very delicate, and left them to do their thing. I just watered them every now and again and made sure they were in a nice sunny spot and I watched them grow.

Buds, Flowers and Okra Pods

About a month after I planted the seeds I noticed my very first okra buds. I literally squealed with delight when I saw them, it was so unexpected as was my squeal – my husband thought I was being attacked or something! Then three weeks later, the most beautiful okra flower appeared and then promptly disappeared within a couple of hours – if you blink you miss the beauty (Okra flowers only open for a few hours and then they close up  in preparation for okra pod formation). Two days after the flower appeared a tiny little okra pod had formed and then, voila, two days after that I had picked my first okra – yay!

Below you can see the progression from okra bud to okra pod.

In total I have 9 okra plants and for months they were serious okra producing machines! Like I mentioned earlier, we had so much okra we didn’t know what to do with them. It was great! And, I just have to mention how perfect the okras have been. I have never ever seen such good-looking okras and we used to buy okra all the time in the UK. Every okra I picked was beautifully formed, no defects and very tasty.

 As I type  the okra plants are 5 months old and sadly they are looking a bit tired, okra pod production has slowed down, their leaves have dropped and the plants don’t look as healthy as they did a few months ago. I think they are coming to the end of their lifespan or maybe they have some kind of fungal disease as I read they are supposed to keep producing for a really long time.  So, I have bought some new seeds and will be planting these soon.

Final Thoughts

I have really enjoyed growing (and eating!) okra. It has been pretty straightforward as okras are very low maintenance and, as I mentioned previously, very hardy,  so they have given me no problems whatsoever.

If you live in a warm climate I highly recommend you try growing okra and if you live in a cold country, you can still jump on board and grow them during the summer months.

WelI… that’s it for now. In my next blog I’ll be discussing my lovely little bell peppers. See you then and happy gardening!

If you want purchase some okra seeds, I recommend the Clemson Spineless, which is what I grew and had great success with. You can order some seeds from Amazon below

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If you missed our previous blogs you can read them using the links below

1. Improving Our Health and Wellbeing Through Gardening: An Introduction
2. Improving Our Health and Wellbeing Through Gardening: How I Got Started
3.  Improving Our Health and Wellbeing Through Gardening: Growing Tomatoes

We’re so happy to announce that our April Fibroids Twitter Chat will be with  Le’Nise Brothers on Wednesday 18th April at 7pm,  GMT (that’s 11am PST, 2pm EST and 2pm AST).

Le’Nise Brothers,  is a nutrition and wellbeing coach for women who struggle with low energy, sugar cravings and hormonal issues such as PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, post-natal depletion and perimenopause.  Le’Nise loves seeing her clients regain their spark, improve their health and boost their energy.

Le’Nise is a registered naturopathic Nutritional Therapist, specialising in women’s health, anxiety, depression and weight loss.  She qualified after an intensive 3 year programme at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London, England, including over 200 clinical hours seeing clients in the student clinic.  She is also a member of the British Association of Nutritional Therapists (BANT), a regulatory body that oversees nutritional therapists in the UK.

We’ll be having a really interesting discussion with Le’Nise on the  the topic of fibroids, hormones and nutrition.

So, if you have a burning question on fibroids, the role that hormones play in their development and how  our diet impacts hormonal disorders like fibroids, then do join us on 18th April. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

For more information on Le’Nise, please visit her website  eatlovemove.com or follow her on social media

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/eatlovemove

Facebook: www.facebook.com/eatlovemovenutrition

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/eatlovemove/

Wednesday 21st March, 2018

Today’s episode is inspired by the Black Women’s Health Imperative’s IndexUS report which looked at what healthy black women can teach us about black women’s health.

On 14th March, we hosted a fibroids Twitter chat with the Fibroid Forum UK. We had a great time discussing the work of The Forum, how they’re supporting women who have been affected by fibroids and explored some of the challenges women with fibroids encounter.

You can read some of the highlights from this really interesting chat below and if you have any questions for the Fibroid Forum, please do send them an email or drop by their next support group session (all the details are in the chat below).

Hi everyone, it’s our my pleasure to welcome you to another one of our #fibroids #TwitterChats. #FibroidsChat (1/4)

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Today we’ll be chatting to, @FibroidForumUK, and exploring all the great work they’ve been doing to support women who have been affected by #fibroids. (2/4)

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Now, it’s my pleasure to introduce our guests @FibroidForumUK.

Welcome @FibroidForumUK , please tell us a bit about your organisation and what you do. #FibroidsChat (4/4)

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Hello everyone, it’s great to be a part of this chat. Fibroid Forum UK was set up in 2015 by a group of women who have suffered with fibroids. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

We started Fibroid Forum UK to raise awareness of the condition, provide support for women with fibroids and empower them to make informed choices about treatment. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

So, let’s get started.@FibroidForumUK, can you tell us what motivated your team to start the Fibroid Forum UK #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Between us we have had various forms of treatment for fibroids including myomectomy, hysterectomy and embolisation #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

There were good and bad things about our collective experiences but we all felt that there was generally a lack of information about fibroids and about choices for treatment options. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

We wanted to make sure other women had all the information they needed. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

It can also be a daunting experience mentally and physically and we want to help other women on this journey by coming alongside them. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

We feel it’s important for those of us who have information to share this with others. We don’t want women to suffer in silence. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

.@FibroidForumUK Having probably interacted with many women affected by #fibroids since you started, what has been the most interesting and also the most surprising thing that you’ve learnt about fibroids since delving into this area?

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

We’ve learnt a lot! One example is that the location of the fibroid can be more important than the size, particularly when thinking about treatment options. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

We were also surprised to hear just how long women wait before seeking help. We seem to find coping mechanisms before reaching out and this doesn’t help. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Many women didn’t realise how big a problem it was and looked for other reasons to explain their symptoms. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

I did this myself – when I was very tired over a period of time I put this down to lifestyle and thought I needed to slow down. We really want women to identify the symptoms early on and seek help. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

.@fibroidforumUK, you have organised educational events in both #London and #Birmingham. Can you tell us about these events? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Yes, that’s important. We held events in 2016 and 2017. There were presentations from consultant radiologists, obstetricians and gynaecologists. There was also a forum for women to share their experiences. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

.@FibroidForumUK , What were some of the most common challenges that women who attended these events raised about #fibroids? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Many women didn’t feel that the range of treatment options were explained or offered to them. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Many women didn’t feel that the range of treatment options were explained or offered to them. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

There was also an issue of doctors not realising that fibroids could be a cause of the symptoms when some women visited and explained what was happening in terms of heavy bleeding, fatigue, etc. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

It looks there needs to be some educational work done with doctors too #fibroidschat @FibroidForumUK

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Absolutely l am totally there for doing some via social media and group chats it’s up to us to raise the profile of Fibroid suffers. I am really passionate about it because l am still suffering after surgery 10 years of fighting it. #fibroids #BlackTwitter

— RAINBOW BLAK (@RAINBOWBLAK) March 15, 2018

Yes, some doctors seem to know more about fibroids than others. We would like to see a universal standard of information included as part of their training. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Did you find that women in #London and #Birmingham raised the same or different issues? @FibroidForumUK #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Yes, the women raised similar issues about lack of information but also about feeling quite lonely as they went through their experiences. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

This is part of the reason why we set up the support group so women can share and be encouraged by others who have been through similar experiences. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

We’ve heard from a lot of women how their social lives were impacted, particularly if they were bleeding heavily. They just stayed at home, and sometimes had to take time off work. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

This is part of the reason why we set up the support group so women can share and be encouraged by others who have been through similar experiences. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Oh that’s great. Can you tell us a bit more about your support group? Just in case people out there might like to attend @FibroidForumUK #fibroidschat https://t.co/ELljRu0xpo

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Oh that’s great. Can you tell us a bit more about your support group? Just in case people out there might like to attend @FibroidForumUK #fibroidschat https://t.co/ELljRu0xpo

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Yes, we run a quarterly support group for women. Our next one is on Monday 26 March at 6.30pm at St Thomas Hospital in London. Everyone is welcome. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

What do you think needs to be done (by the NHS and by organisations like yourself) to address these challenges? @FibroidForumUK #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Organisations like ours need to do as much as possible to raise awareness of this issue among women. As individual women, we need to share our stories and also give leaflets on fibroids to our doctors. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

The NHS can follow the guidelines that are already in place about giving women leaflets on fibroids when they come to appointments, and others. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

What other events, support and work have you undertaken and what are your plans for the future? @FibroidForumUK #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Our future plans are to host more events and see more support groups started across the country. We will continue to raise awareness where we can with those who are involved in treating women with fibroids. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Hi @CAREAbtFibroids, if you’ve been following our discussion, I was just wondering if you see some of the same issues over there in the US – women with fibroids feeling lonely, lack of information, doctors not recognising symptoms.

#fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Definitely. One of the most troubling aspects is how many women with fibroids wait for years without seeking treatment.

Fibroids place a heavy toll on a woman’s emotional well-being and can lead to body-issue anxieties and lower self-esteem. #FibroidsChat

— CAREAboutFibroids (@CAREAbtFibroids) March 14, 2018

Where can women find out more about these services and the work that you’re doing on fibroids? And if people want to support your organisation how best can they do that? @FibroidForumUK #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

They can join our Facebook group. They can also email us fibroidforum@outlook.com. We will have more information about how people can support us in the near future. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Do you have any tips or advice you can share for women living with fibroids? @fibroidforumuk #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Generally, it’s important that we take care of ourselves – that includes our physical, emotional and mental well-being. It’s important to seek appropriate medical advice as all of us are different. #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

Well, we have come to the end of our #FibroidsChat. A big thank you to @fibroidforumUK for joining us. It has been really nice speaking to you and learning more about the work of your organisation. It’s great what you’ve been doing and we wish you all the best #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Thank you @lakehealthwell for having us as your guests. Keep up your good work too! #FibroidsChat

— Fibroid Forum UK (@FibroidForumUK) March 14, 2018

What a great chat we had with @FibroidForumUK. They provided some really useful insight into some of the challenges that women with #fibroids face and how they’re addressing some of these issues.#fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

If you’re based in London and have been affected by #fibroids, check out their support group on 26th March at 6.30pm at St Thomas Hospital in London. Everyone is welcome. #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) March 14, 2018

Welcome back to our Inspirational People in Healthcare blog series. Today we are absolutely delighted to feature Apryll Chase.

Apryll Chase is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at St George’s Hospital in London and has a specialist interest in ambulatory and endoscopic gynaecology, with a focus on the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of pre-malignant disease.

She studied medicine at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine, KCL which she followed with extensive training at centres of excellence for Obstetrics and Gynaecological Surgery. She holds post-graduate qualifications in Clinical Leadership and in Academic Practice; has completed Fellowships in Ambulatory and Endoscopic Gynaecology, and in Management and Leadership in Education; including pursuing an MA in Academic Practice (Education).

Ms Chase is passionate about education, mentoring and widening participation in medicine and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has taught undergraduate students at leading medical schools throughout London, has been on a number of examination and assessment committees and developed courses and teaching materials for students and qualified doctors. She is an innovator in medical education having been involved in the creation and evaluation of e-learning tools, clinical simulations and video-based teaching resources which led to her receiving the Excellence in Education Innovation Award from the Simulation, Technology and Enhanced Learning Initiative of NHS London in 2010 and the Excellence in Contribution to Education Award from the School of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, HEE Kent, Surrey & Sussex in 2013.

She is well-respected in her field having served on several boards and advisory committees at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Health Education England and the Confederation of South London Lead Providers, to name a few. She is widely published in her speciality and in education, has delivered presentations worldwide and has not only received the awards previously mentioned, but her excellence as been recognised through prizes, scholarships and being awarded several leadership positions.

Ms Chase is also very active in her community having coordinated or participated in the following programmes:  Hands up for Health, Rise Leadership Academy, Access to Medicine Scheme (King’s College London), Annual CV Clinic (Bahamas), Guy’s, King’s and St. Thomas’ Mentoring Scheme and the National Respect Campaign.

Apryll Chase is a true inspiration having excelled both in her field of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and in education. We wish her every success as she continues to have such a positive and significant impact in the field of medicine and on the next generation of doctors.