Lake Health and Wellbeing is delighted to invite women in St Kitts and Nevis who have been affected by fibroids to attend our upcoming event ‘Girl Talk: Fibroids.’

We have teamed up with Because We Care, a student group at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, to organise a new series of women’s health events  entitled ‘Girl Talk: Informal and Empowering Discussions on Women’s Health’

This first event in our series will focus on fibroids, a common but overlooked women’s health issue that is estimated to affect 80% of black women.

Girl Talk aims to overcome the stigma associated with fibroids by creating a safe space to discuss fibroids, its impact on women and solutions.

We’ll have a panel of esteemed speakers covering various aspects of fibroids, a wellness market featuring St Kitts’ leading health, wellbeing and wellness brands, fantastic raffle prizes, free health checks, food and more!

Confirmed Speakers

Confirmed speakers include:

• Dr Hazel Laws, Chief Medical Officer, St Kitts – Fibroids and Women’s Health in St Kitts
• Dr Deborah Williams, Professor of Pathology – What Are Fibroids?
• Dr Lescott,  Medical Doctor – Fibroids and Nutrition
• Dr Pereira, Clinical Psychologist –  Living well with fibroids and chronic illness
• Dr Lawrence, Medical Doctor – The treatment of fibroids

Confirmed Vendors

We have some great organisations taking part in our Wellness Market. You can treat yourself to a range of products all aimed at improving your wellbeing.

Some of our confirmed vendors include:

Mother Becky Bush Tea – Mother Becky Bush Tea is named after owner Jermine Mike’s great grandmother who lived to be close to 100 years of age. Recognized as the matriarch of her community, Mother Becky hailed from a generation which drank bush tea daily. The Mother Becky Bush Tea brand aims to honor and revitalize the bush tea tradition of St. Kitts & Nevis and offer an authentic product to visitors and residents alike.

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Sugar Town Organics – Sugar Town Organics is a natural products manufacturer and distributor that offers high end botanical beauty (Yaphene) and wellness (Flauriel) products featuring the finest natural Caribbean materials. With a commitment to ethical manufacturing and promoting environmental sustainability, good health and wellness, the firm is family-owned and employs all-natural methods that celebrate the host of rich ingredients plentiful throughout the region.

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Pure Niceness by Winnielle – HANDCRAFTED on the island of St. Kitts amidst the natural wonders of the West Indian land, using all – natural, effective, aromatic, superior ingredients, sourced from the gifts of mother nature🍃and handmade with love and pure good vibes by island girl Winnielle. Her brand of hair and skin care promotes self-love, self-care, good vibes and a wellness lifestyle. SHOP Made in St. Kitts – Nevis, Shop Small… Experience Pure Niceness!

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Love the Skin You Wear – Love the Skin You Wear offers a range of services designed to help you relax and focus on your total wellness, these include massages and facials. They also sell natural handmade hair and body products.

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Prices

Join us this International Women’s Month on 30th March for this empowering and informative women’s health event.

Early bird tickets are just $30EC  for a regular ticket and $20EC for students.

You can book your place below and then pay at the event. Early bird tickets are available until 15th March 2019 so if you register before this date you’ll secure the early bird price, registrations after this date will be $35EC.

Registration Form

The information provided in the form below will enable us to contact you about the event regarding updates and important information.

No Fields Found.

We look forward to seeing you on 30th March and if you have any questions, please email  us or call 668 1518.

Back in 2013 we conducted a survey to understand the needs of women affected by fibroids. As we conducted this survey, we kept hearing very strong words and phrases describing how living with fibroids was affecting the mental health of women.

“I have hated life at times because of fibroids. I feel like I am being punished for something.”

“Depression from feeling that my only options were drugs or surgery”

“Fear of not being able to have children”

“Just a constant fear of what they could become”

As a result of this we started to explore this issue further by speaking to women who attended our fibroids awareness events and soon realised that this was a much wider problem. To compound this issue there was little information available, at the time, about the emotional impact of fibroids and no services to support women with fibroids in addressing these issues.

So, we decided to reach out to counsellor, Olivia Haltman, the founder of OH Services to speak at our Fibroid Focus event, a conference we held in 2016 for women with fibroids.

Olivia gave an excellent presentation that explored the emotional impact of fibroids explaining how fibroids can affect not just women’s physical health but their mental health too. The reaction from women after her presentation was profound, a stunned recognition that:

• Other women feel the way I do
• What I have been feeling isn’t trivial
• Someone articulated exactly how I was feeling in a way that I never could
• There is a way to address this aspect of my experience with fibroids

Following this event OH Services began work on developing their first 4-week online course on the emotional impact of fibroids. Not only was it a first for them but, to our knowledge, it is the first ever course on this topic. This course was launched in November 2018 and we had the pleasure of attending.

Over the 4 weeks OH Services created a safe space for women to come together to discuss the emotional impact of fibroids. As we listened to the discussion, we realised this was the first time that attendees were exploring this side of fibroids, and it was challenging. They were given the opportunity to reflect and explore their emotions and how these have been impacted by their experience with fibroids.

Ms Haltman explained with some clarity what specific emotions many women feel categorising them into the emotions that women may experience before and after a diagnosis, as well as some general emotions.

We learnt of the fear, anxiety and uncertainty that can occur in the lead up to a diagnosis which is particularly significant as many women with fibroids have symptoms weeks, months and sometimes years before receiving a confirmed diagnosis.

We also learnt of the emotional toll that managing symptoms such as pain, heavy bleeding and anaemia can have on a woman’s quality of life, affecting her personality, relationships, effectiveness at work and restricting the activities she can participate in.

Ms Haltman also described the difficulty of having to deal with treatment decisions, the potential of  a loss of fertility and the possibility of a recurrence after treatment.

The discussions during this course were insightful and thought-provoking and to ensure that participants made the most of each session, participants were given activities after each session to consolidate their learning.

The course ended on a positive note, one of hope and sisterhood with Ms Haltman taking participants through methods and techniques to address these emotions and start a self-development journey.

We really liked that the way this course was delivered. It was interactive and practical with participants being split up into groups to share experiences and explore specific topics. Also, the homework ensured that what was learnt in each session was explored further and applied immediately.

This course fills a huge gap and we believe it is much-needed so that women with fibroids have the support they need. Therefore, we highly recommend this course to anyone who has been affected by fibroids or is supporting a friend, family member or client with fibroids.

The next course starts on 6^th March at 7pm UK time and you can register online here or for more information you can email ohservices@counsellor.com

More Resources and Information

• Fibroids and Your Mental Wellbeing – a fact sheet by Lake Health and Wellbeing and OH Services
• OH Services – Improving the Mental Wellbeing of Our Community
• Podcast: We Talk to Olivia Haltman About the Emotional Impact of Fibroids
• OH Services Starts an Online Forum for Women With Fibroids

Early-bird registration ends soon for our fibroids and exercise webinar, in just a few days!

This webinar will focus on ‘The Importance of Exercise, Relaxation and Me-Time. ‘ and will take place on Saturday 23rd February at 11am AST (that’s 3pm GMT or 10am US Eastern Time).

In this third webinar we are pleased to have as a guest speaker Candice Bryan, the Founder and CEO of Noire Wellness. Candice will discuss the impact that exercise, physical activity and stress have on fibroids and how you can take control, balance your hormones and alleviate your symptoms through exercise, relaxation and having a bit of me-time.

“If sport and physical activity were a drug, it would be regarded as a miracle.” ~ Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, UK

Discounted Early Bird Tickets Are Now Available

Early bird tickets for this webinar are available until 23rd Jan and are just $10 (about £8) and you can book your place and find out more here or make a quick payment below using your credit card.  After 23rd Jan tickets are $15 (about £11).

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Previous Webinar

Did you miss the first webinar in our series: Fibroids, Diet and Hormones with guest speaker Le’Nise Brothers,  Registered Nutritional Therapist and the Founder of Eat Love Move?

Have no fear, you can download and purchase the recording of this webinar for just $15 and you’ll have on-demand access to this in-depth session on fibroids, diet and hormones which guides you through the changes that you can make to improve your hormonal health and therefore alleviate the symptoms associated with fibroids. Find out more and download this webinar here

More Information 

We hope that you’ll join us on 23rd Feb  for this really interesting online event and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at events@lakehealthandwellbeing.com and you can book your place 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.

On 27th October 2018, we hosted the first webinar in our fibroids self-care webinar series, Fibroids, Diet and Hormones. If you missed this webinar, we’re happy to say that the recording is now available.

In this first webinar we were delighted to have guest speaker, Le’Nise Brothers who is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and the Founder of Eat Love Move.  Le’Nise delivered a comprehensive, in-depth, informative presentation which you can download here. This 1-hour presentation includes:

• An introduction to fibroids including the types of fibroids, symptoms, risk factors and how fibroids are diagnosed as well as advice on getting the most out of your doctor’s appointment
• The causes of the continual growth of fibroids
• Balancing your hormones as an effective way of managing fibroids
• How you can take control and balance your hormones through diet and nutrition, lifestyle changes, physical support, stress management and emotional support

This is an excellent, empowering webinar that provides practical information that you can easily apply to your day-to-day routine to alleviate your symptoms and  successfully manage fibroids.

How to Access the Recording

To purchase and download this webinar, please do the following:

1.  Visit the webinar product page here
2. Click ‘Add to cart’
3. Follow all the instructions
4. Once you click ‘Place order’ you will have unlimited download access to the webinar.
5. After you make payment ($15), you simply click the blue button under “Download” and you’ll be taken to DropBox where you can watch the recording directly or you can click ‘Download’ at the top right of the screen to save the file to your computer or your DropBox to watch later.

If you have any problems downloading the recording, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by email events@lakehealthandwellbeing.com 

What  Attendees Had to Say About this Session

“I enjoyed the webinar today. Learned a lot. Thank you Le’nise for sharing your wisdom, it was very informative.”

“Great Webinar. Thanks very much Le’Nise and Abi.”

“This was a great webinar!”

“I didn’t want it to end!”

Upcoming Webinar

You may also be interested in the next webinar in our series which is on fibroids treatment. We’re delighted to have Consultant Gynaecologist, Apryll Chase, discussing all the treatment options for fibroids, their pros and cons and how to make the sometimes difficult decision of selecting the best treatment for you. You can find out more about this webinar here

Further Information

If you’d like more information or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send us an email, we’d love to hear from you.

We are so pleased to let you know that registration for the second seminar in our Fibroids Self-Care Webinar Series is now open!

This second webinar will focus on treatment with the topic being ‘Deciding on the best treatment for you’ and  will be held on Saturday 1st December from 11am -1pm AST (that’s 3pm-5pm GMT or  10am-12pm US Eastern Time).

In this second webinar we are delighted to have as a guest speaker award-winning Consultant Gynaecologist Apryll Chase who will take participants through the treatment options for fibroids, the pros and cons of each treatment and how to make the sometimes difficult decision of selecting the best treatment for you.

Discounted Early Bird Tickets Are Now Available

Early bird tickets for this webinar are now available and are just $10 (about £8) and you can book your tickets on our website here

We Have A Special Giveaway Just For You

We’re pleased to let you know that all those who register for this webinar will be entered into a giveaway and one lucky person will win a copy of the book ‘Flow Fighter – How I Kicked My Fibroids and Heavy Periods to the Curb’ by Holly Bridges.

There is more!  We’re happy to say that all registered attendees will be eligible for a 20% discount when they order hair or body products from  Almocado and will also receive a  free shipping code from  Afrocenchix on any orders of over £20.

Other Webinars in this Series

Other webinars in the series will include:

Session 3: The Importance of Exercise, Relaxation and Me-Time, Candice Bryan, Founder and CEO, Noire Wellness, 23rd February 2019

Session 4: Hair and Body Care for Women With Fibroids, Rachael and Jocelyn, Founders of Afrocenchix, April 2019 (To be confirmed)

Session 5: Dealing with the Emotional Impact of Fibroids, Olivia Haltman, Founder, OH Services, June 2019

Session 6: Our Fibroids Stories – A Time to Share, August 2019

More Information 

We hope that you’ll join us on 1st Decemeber for this really interesting online event and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at events@lakehealthandwellbeing.com and you can book your place here

Did you miss the first webinar in our series: Fibroids, Diet and Hormones with guest speaker Le’Nise Brothers,  Registered Nutritional Therapist and the Founder of Eat Love Move?

Have no fear, you can download and purchase the recording of this webinar for just $15 and you’ll have on-demand access to this in-depth session on fibroids, diet and hormones which guides you through the changes that you can make to improve your hormonal health and therefore alleviate the symptoms associated with fibroids. Find out more and download this webinar here

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

We just finished reading Flow Fighter: How I Kicked My Fibroids and Heavy Periods to the Curb by Holly Bridges. We thought this was a very insightful and informative book that not only explores the personal experience of the author but that of other women, young and old, with fibroids, endometriosis and heavy menstrual bleeding. In this book we also hear from gynaecologists, young doctors, women’s health advocates and sexual health experts and through all these perspectives readers are given a comprehensive view of the fibroids experience.

We were also taken on an educational journey with the author having conducted extensive research into fibroids, other gynaecological conditions and heavy menstrual bleeding. The book explains, in detail, the latest warnings from the FDA and Health Canada on laparoscopic power morcellators and the drug Esmya. Helpfully and impressively we’re provided with:

• Timelines that provide context and background to these warnings,
• Letters, quotes, summaries of research, recommendations and reports from all interested parties on both sides of the argument of these warnings – the FDA, Health Canada, gynaecologists and other government agencies

The above facts were interspersed with commentary from the author which gave us some good background into both issues.

Our educational journey continued with a reminder of the structure and function of the women’s reproductive system, what fibroids are and what constitutes heavy menstrual bleeding.  The book covered all the treatment options for fibroids and what their pros and cons are. The author also reflects on the injustices that exist with respect to women’s health where the lack of focus on conditions like fibroids mean:

• There are still major gaps in research;
• There is a significant delay in the diagnosis of many women leading to years of unnecessary suffering;
• There is no clear understanding of the cause of fibroids and the best approaches to treat women;
• We have a healthcare system that is not patient-centred leading to women feeling isolated and confused.

Author Holly Bridges also discusses the reasons why hysterectomies are so common, why doctors recommend invasive treatments over non-invasive approaches, and why this needs to change.

At the core of this book is the message that women need to be empowered with all the information they need to make an informed decision about their treatment.

The format of the book is useful with many chapters ending with a list of takeaway messages. In addition, the author, throughout the book, refers readers to useful resources. These include books, research papers, videos and websites.

The book ends with a chapter entitled ‘Empowering Our Daughters’ which we thought was very important section because there is a need to ensure that the generations of women who follow have a better experience.

The only topic that we felt was missing was a discussion on the impact of diet, exercise and environmental toxins on fibroids. This was touched on very briefly and there was recognition at the end of the book that this is an area that requires some attention and the author will be exploring this in the future.

This was a very interesting and informative book and we recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the experience of women with fibroids and how we can move forward and ensure that women get the best care possible.

You Can Claim A Discount on this Book

We’re delighted to say that Holly Bridges is offering a 20% discount on her book to all our blog readers. To claim your discount, visit her website and use the discount code LakeHealth at check out.

Also, the first few people who register to attend our fibroids self-care webinar in October will be entered into a giveaway and one lucky person will win a copy of the book.

Have You Read Flow Fighter?

Have you read this book? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave them in the comments section below or send us an email

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