Cancer Research UK has reported that its scientists have developed a very comprehensive method of predicting a women’s risk of developing breast cancer.

This work was recently published in Genetics in Medicine where it was explained that by combining information on family history, genetics and other factors like weight, age at menopause, alcohol consumption and use of hormone replacement therapy, scientists are able to determine a woman’s breast cancer risk.

What makes their prediction more precise than previous methods is that researchers, for the first time, included 300 genetic indicators for breast cancer in their risk calculation.

This piece of work has led to the development of an online calculator that General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK can use in their surgeries. Currently this online  calculator is being tested by GPs, nurses and genetic counsellors before it is released nation-wide. The hope is that this tool will enable healthcare professionals to explore early detection and prevention strategies for women based on their risk and therefore improve survival rates for breast cancer.

Although this work is very exciting more work is needed, as expressed by lead author, Professor Antonis Antoniou, who said:

“It could be a game changer for breast cancer because now we can identify large numbers of women with different levels of risk – not just women who are at high risk.

This should help doctors to tailor the care they provide depending on their patients’ level of risk. For example, some women may need additional appointments with their doctor to discuss screening or prevention options and others may just need advice on their lifestyle and diet.

“We hope this means more people can be diagnosed early and survive their disease for longer, but more research and trials are needed before we will fully understand how this could be used.”

Additionally, Dr Richard Rope, Cancer Research UK’s GP expert warned that:

“Research like this is hugely exciting because in the future it will enable us to offer much more tailored care which will benefit patients and make best use of the services that we have available.

“Although having an increased risk of breast cancer means a woman is more likely to develop the disease – it’s by no means a certainty. A woman at high risk may never get breast cancer just as a woman at low risk still could. But any woman with concerns should speak to her GP to discuss the options.”

For more information on this work, you can read Cancer Research UK’s research paper here

OH Services, an organisation that aims to support people through the difficult periods of their life by offering counselling services, has recently started an online forum for women who have been affected by fibroids.

The forum is a closed private group that will enable women to connect with each other, share experiences and gain access to the expertise of OH Services.

It’s hoped that by having a space to share the ups and downs of having fibroids, women will be given an outlet to express their feelings and receive support in order to address the emotional impact of fibroids.

If you’ve been affected by fibroids and would like to try out this forum, you can find it on OH Services’ website here.

We’re delighted to be working with OH Services to support them in facilitating the discussions in the forum and look forward to connecting with women online.

CARE About Fibroids is a Washington, DC-based non-profit whose mission is to elevate uterine fibroids as a women’s health issue and drive change. Bringing together many of US’s most respected women’s health advocacy and policy-focused organizations to advance solutions, CARE About Fibroids is a catalyst for increased awareness, research and education about uterine fibroids, leading to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment.

As part of their mission to raise awareness of fibroids, they recently published a white paper entitled: ‘Uterine Fibroids: A Report on the Condition and its Impact on Women in the U.S. Their white paper provides some good background information on what fibroids are, how they are diagnosed and treatment options. They also discuss the challenges that women encounter with respect to diagnosis and the health system. As part of their discussion on the diagnosis challenges it was useful that the authors included a section exploring what is normal with regards to menstrual cycle. The confusion around this question means that many women are unable to recognise the symptoms of fibroids because they see their symptoms as being a normal part of their menstrual cycle.

We were also happy to see that the mental health challenges were discussed in this report, as this is an area that is often overlooked, and were pleased to see that the importance of family awareness was highlighted.

This was an interesting report which can be downloaded below.

After the success of their first Fibroids Wellness Hub in November 2017, Noire Wellness will be back on Sunday 25^th November at Brent Hub in North London from 11am to 6pm for their second annual Fibroids Series Wellness Hub.

This will be an empowering and informative day that aims to support women living with fibroids. Atttendees will be able to attend a variety of workshops and live demonstrations that all aim to provide women with fibroids with information and practical advice on how to manage their symptoms and thus reduce the effects of fibroids.

The event will feature the following:

Wisdom Wonders where you can gain valuable insight into areas often ignored when living with health conditions. Explore the use of yoni eggs as part of womb health; discuss the emotional impacts of fibroids with the support of sisters. Here you will get the opportunity to explore more with speakers during a special drop-in clinic and a panel discussion at the end of the day.

Nature’s Lab. Here attendees can learn about a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good and have energy whilst living with fibroids.

A Mindful Zone. This will help you focus your awareness on the present moment, through a series of gentle activities. Here you’ll discover workshops centred on breathing to eliminate stress; sound healing and meditation for practical lessons to use at home; and a yoga session focussed on movement to help reduce pain and increase energy flow.

A Rejuvenation Lounge.  Where you can take some time out during the day and indulge in treatments offered by Tanya Kay Beauty Lifestyle including a back massage and a foot and leg massage.

If you have been affected by fibroids, this event is not to be missed. For more information please visit the event web page here

We’re so pleased to announce that the featured guest for our October Fibroids Twitter chat will be Julia Mandeville, the Co-Founder of the Barbados Association of Endometriosis and PCOS.

Research suggests that 30% of women with fibroids have endometriosis  and in many cases this additional condition goes undiagnosed for many years. By raising awareness of endometriosis we can empower women with the information needed to facilitate an early diagnosis so that the most appropriate treatment is received without delay.

We are so delighted to have Julia as a guest so our followers can get a better understanding of endometriosis especially women with fibroids who may have unexplained symptoms which could be due to this condition.

Who is Julia Mandeville?

Julia Mandeville has been a science and health educator since 2010, gaining a B.Sc in Biology with Microbiology with honours from the University of the West Indies. She also holds a Master of Public Health with a specialization in Global Health from the University of Manchester.

Julia is the co-founder of the Barbados Association of Endometriosis and PCOS (BAEP) and is an emerging global health professional who has a particular interest in reproductive health rights, invisible chronic disease management, research and policy specifically as it relates to Caribbean women’s health.

Her personal struggle with Endometriosis and subsequent diagnosis was the catalyst that caused her to utilize her voice and become an advocate. She also has experience as a consultant and more recently has expanded her academic portfolio with certificates in gender, development and NGO management.

The Barbados Association of Endometriosis and PCOS

The BAEP was founded to address the knowledge gap as it pertains to these pelvic conditions and their impact in Barbados. It serves to advocate for the women in Barbadian society who are suffering due to lack of awareness and works to engage with major and relevant stakeholders to raise these conditions to a priority level in the public health community.

The BAEP is a non-governmental organization located in Barbados which has also collaborated with local and regional entities with similar mandates.

Join Us!

Join our #FibroidsChat to find out more about endometriosis and  the great work that BAEP is conducting to support Caribbean women affected by endometriosis and PCOS. To take part in the conversation find us on Twitter on 10th October at  3pm ( AST or  8pm GMT ) and use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

Find Out More

You can find out more about the BAEP here  and you can follow the BAEP on social media:

Twitter: @endoandpcosbb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndoFacts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/endoandpcosbb/?hl=en

To be kept up-to-date on this topic, please sign-up to receive our fibroids newsletter  and you can read a summary of our previous #FibroidsChats here

A study published in August 2018 by researchers at the George Mason University in the USA has demonstrated that exposure to chemicals in beauty and personal care products affect women’s reproductive hormones, and these effects may have an impact on women’s health.

What Did They Do?

In their study, researchers focused on chemicals commonly used in beauty and personal care products. These included bisphenol A (BPA), chlorophenols, benzophenones (a UV filter) and parabens (preservatives). They evaluated these chemicals in 143 women over two menstrual cycles. They also analysed the reproductive hormones oestradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).

The 143 women in this study were aged 18 to 44 years old, had no known chronic health conditions and did not use birth control.

Dr Anna Pollack, lead researcher, on this study noted that:

“This study is the first to examine mixtures of chemicals that are widely used in personal care products in relation to hormones in healthy, reproductive-age women, using multiple measures of exposure across the menstrual cycle, which improved upon research that relied on one or two measures of chemicals”

This is an important point to note as measuring mixtures of chemicals better reflects the real-world situation where women will be exposed to several chemicals.

What Did They Find?

The study found that exposure to these chemicals, even low-level exposure to mixtures of these chemicals affected participants’ reproductive hormones.  Specifically, they found that:

• BPA, chlorophenols, UV filters and parabens were linked with reproductive hormones
• Parabens were associated with an increase in oestradiol
• Phenol and UV filters were linked to a decrease in oestradiol, FSH and LH

What Does This Mean?

The results of this study are interesting as changes in reproductive hormones have been linked to a number of health conditions such as fibroids, breast cancer and cardiovascular disease.  Therefore, care must be taken when selecting beauty and personal care products.

Researchers noted that:

“We have early indicators that chemicals such as parabens may increase oestrogen levels. If this finding is confirmed by additional research, it could have implications for oestrogen dependent diseases such as breast cancer.” Dr Anna Pollack

Researchers therefore concluded that:

“What we should take away from this study is that we may need to be careful about the chemicals in the beauty and personal care products we use.”

You May Also Be Interested in These Stories

• My Haircare Nightmare: Help Us Start A Revolution
• More Concerning Research on Black Hair Products
• Latest Research on Hair Dyes, Relaxers and Breast Cancer
• Black Women, Relaxers and Fibroids
• Black Hair Products: We Want to Hear from You!

You can read the research paper describing this study here

OH Services will be launching their four-week Emotional Impact of Fibroids online course on 7th November. This course is aimed at women who have been affected by fibroids, professionals who would like to support and understand their clients better and family members and friends who would like to learn more about fibroids so they can help their loved ones.

The course will be led by Olivia Haltman who is an accredited Integrative Humanistic Counsellor and an Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapist.  She is also a member of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), EMDR UK & Ireland and BAATN (Black and Asian Therapist Network). Ms Haltman has over 10 years experience working in the mental health sector having worked for organisations like Mind and established her organisation to support people who want to develop their lives on a personal level and reach their best potential. Of her approach to tackling mental health issues she says:

“I believe everyone is different, with unique needs and aspirations so I use an integrative approach to apply and integrate the most suitable solutions for my clients. Within my practice, I also apply (where necessary) a holistic approach to help clients enjoy the essential benefits of wellbeing and healing processes.”

The Aim of the Course

This course will empower attendees, enabling them to

• Get an understanding of how fibroids affect your emotions and life
• Create a stepping stone to start a routine to work on their self-care
• Create their own self-care plan
• Learn how to support and understand others with fibroids
• Start a self-development journey to improve their general wellbeing

It will be interactive and include: a lecture, break out exercises, Q & A, guest speakers, home work, hand-outs and a Certificate of Attendance upon attending the full 4 weeks.

Why Four Weeks? 

Usually workshops or seminars are a few hours with very important information, but once these sessions are over many people go back to their normal routine and lose motivation.  With a four week course OH Services will help you start to create a habit and assist you in dealing with what is going on in your life. This is a journey of reflection to explore how your emotions and fibroids are linked.

To give an extra boost to your journey OH Services has added a BONUS week (week 5) a few weeks after the course ends so you can check-in and monitor your progress.

We’ve Teamed Up With OH Services

We’re delighted to have formed a partnership with OH Services. We’ll be hosting a Fibroids Self-Care Webinar Series which starts on 27th October with a session on Fibroids, Diet and Hormones. The first few people who register for our webinar can claim a £5 discount on OH Services’ online course in November.

And, if you’ve already registered for the OH Services course and were one of the first 10 people to do so, you can claim a 10% discount on one of the seminars in our Fibroids Self-Care Series.

More Information

For more information you can visit OH Services Eventbrite page, visit their website or email us

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

We’re delighted to announce that our July Fibroids Twitter Chat will be with Jenny Rosenberg on 25th July 2018 at 2pm EST (that’s 7pm GMT, or 2pm AST).

Jenny Rosenberg is the Executive Director of CARE About Fibroids and is an internationally recognized leader in health care policy and strategic communications. Mrs. Rosenberg served for more than a decade in senior-level policy and communications positions in the Obama Administration and Congress.

Previously, Mrs. Rosenberg was Director of Communications to former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin and former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh. ​Her broad experience as a regulator, policymaker and communications expert brings a comprehensive, multifaceted approach to enhancing public awareness over critical public health issues.

CARE About Fibroids is a Washington, DC-based non-profit whose mission is to elevate uterine fibroids as a women’s health issue and drive change. Bringing together many of the nation’s most respected women’s health advocacy and policy-focused organizations to advance solutions, CARE About Fibroids is a catalyst for increased awareness, research and education about uterine fibroids, leading to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment.

Join our #FibroidsChat to find out more about the great work that CARE About Fibrioids is conducting. To take part in the conversation find us on Twitter on 25th July at  2pm (US EST and 7pmGMT ) and use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

You can find out more about CARE About Fibroids here: www.careaboutfibroids.org and you can follow CARE About Fibroids on social media:

Twitter: @CAREAbtFibroids

Facebook: @CareAboutFibroids

Are you interested in this topic? Then please do sign up to our fibroids mailing list here

Back in December 2017 the European Medicines Agency announced that it had started an in-depth review on Esmya (ulipristal acetate), a drug widely used to treat fibroids. This in-depth review was conducted following four reports of serious injury with three of these patients having to have a liver transplant. After receiving these reports an initial assessment of these cases was carried out and it was determined that Esmya was indeed the cause of the liver damage, therefore the EMA started a more comprehensive review.

The EMA has now concluded its review on Esmya and in June 2018 published new measures to minimise the risk of rare but serious liver injury that could be caused by Esmya. They recommended that the use of Esmya be restricted and that more research be conducted to gain a better understanding of how Esmya effects the liver and whether the measures they have introduced will, in fact, be effective at minimising the risk of liver damage.

EMA’s Safety Measures for Esmya

The specific measures that the EMA has introduced are:

• Esmya should not be prescribed to patients who have liver problems
• A liver test should be performed before a patient starts taking Esmya and if the test is abnormal the drug should not be prescribed
• Patients should have liver tests during and after treatment
• If no liver problems are detected, a single course of Esmya can be used in women who are about to have surgery for their fibroids; Esmya can be used for more than one course only in women who cannot have surgery
• A card should be included in the package for Esmya with information on the risk of liver damage and the need for liver monitoring
• Patients should stop treatment and contact their doctor immediately if they develop symptoms of liver injury, which include tiredness, yellowing of the skin, darkening of the urine, nausea and vomiting
• Patients with questions or concerns about their treatment should speak to their doctor or pharmacist.

More Information

For more information about the EMA’s review, please visit their website here or download their information sheet below.

Keep up-to-date on fibroids news as well as our upcoming fibroids webinar series by signing up to our fibroids newsletter here

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

We’re so happy to announce that our June Fibroids Twitter Chat will be with Angèle  Mbarga on 21^st June 2018 at 6:30pm CEST (that’s 5:30pm GMT, or 12:30pm AST).

Angèle  Mbarga is the Founder of Fibrome Info France which she established in 2011 to provide a place of healing dedicated to women suffering from fibroids. Angèle’s personal experience with fibroids motivated her to start Fibrome Info France to fill the gaps in support that she noticed when she was first diagnosed.

Through their support groups, Fibrome Info France supports over 1500 women every year, they assess women’s personal circumstances and then match them with a relevant support plan. In addition to providing support to women, they raise awareness, provide information on the complications of fibroids and are working towards improving the care that women receive.

They released an awareness video in 2012, in 2013 they published an information leaflet in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Rights and the Regional Council of Ile-de-France and in 2014 they worked with doctors to create an information and supportive guide for patients.

Fibrome Info France is making a significant difference in France and you can learn more about their work in our upcoming #FibroidsChat. To take part in the conversation find us on Twitter on 21st June at  6:30pm (French time) and use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

You can find out more about Fibrome Info France here: http://fibrome-info-france.org/