We are delighted to announce our next fibroids Twitter chat will be on  Wednesday  29th  November 2017 from 7pm-8pm (UK time). We will be joined by special guest Imani Sorhaindo with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

Imani Sorhaindo is a teacher, Curriculum Manager, Life Coach and Facilitator of the Ipswich Black Sisters Fibroid and Womb-Wellness Support Group.

Imani has been working as a community development worker for the upliftment of the African community for over 28 years.

Imani has her own personal life experience of working towards shrinking fibroids, and eradicating stress and toxicity through a range of life-changing techniques and lifestyle living including breathing, meditation and energy balancing.

Over the past 13 years she has been researching the world of women’s health; particularly around fibroids and healing. The Black sister’s fibroid group which she runs in Suffolk has been running for its first year; with pleasing results. She has recently delivered a short lecture at the Black History Walks Nzingha Lectures in London.

Imani is also half-way through writing her book around the theme ‘Holistic approaches towards the elimination of fibroids. In 2018, Imani will be hosting her first Fibroids conference in the Caribbean island of Dominica.

This Twitter chat has been organised to allow for an in-depth discussion with Imani on her personal experience with fibroids, her work facilitating the Ipswich Black Sisters Fibroids and Womb-Wellness Support Group, her upcoming book on holistic approaches to fibroids and her first fibroids conference in Dominica.

We’ll be putting questions to Imani and you can put your questions to her too. So if you have a burning question about fibroids or just want to get involved in the discussion then do join us on the day. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

We look forward to tweeting with you!

After their successful 12-week, pop-up wellness hub last year, which was a health and fitness club, spa lounge and workshop zone all rolled into one, Noire Wellness will be hosting a fibroids wellness hub. This will be held on Sunday 26^th November at Wiseworks and will cover a range of topics including diet, exercise and the emotional impact of fibroids.

The wellness hub aims to empower women affected by fibroids giving them the information and practical support that they need to improve their well-being.

Noire Wellness is an organisation that aims to improve the health and wellness of the African and African-Caribbean community through the offer of local wellness hubs, community consultancy services and a growing wellness business network.

You can book your place on EventBrite here and for more information about the fibroids wellness hub, please download their flyer below or email  info@noirewellness.com

You can find out more about Noire Wellness by following them on Twitter, liking their page on Facebook or signing up to their newsletter here

Please note that this event has been rescheduled and will now be held on 26th November as a one-day event. For more information visit EventBrite

After their successful 12-week, pop-up wellness hub last year, which was a health and fitness club, spa lounge and workshop zone all rolled into one, Noire Wellness will be hosting a fibroids wellness hub. This will run over several weeks starting from 24th September and will cover a range of topics including diet, exercise and the emotional impact of fibroids.

The wellness hub aims to empower women affected by fibroids giving them the information and practical support that they need to improve their well-being.

Noire Wellness is an organisation that aims to improve the health and wellness of the African and African-Caribbean community through the offer of local wellness hubs, community consultancy services and a growing wellness business network.

You can find out more about Noire Wellness by following them on Twitter, liking their page on Facebook or signing up to their newsletter here

More information about the fibroids wellness hub will be available soon, but if you have any questions please email info@noirewellness.com

The Griot Institute is organising a consultation event for Black women on the treatment and support for chronic fibroids.

The Fibroids Fraternitee meeting will examine questions about the kind of health care Black women want in relation to chronic fibroids.

What would a Black women-friendly service look like? What support do women want to deal with the disabling aspects of suffering from chronic fibroids?  What medical and clinical interventions have we had and how have these affected us? What lifestyle and natural approaches have we used to good effect?

For many years, Griot has run peer support forums for Black women with chronic fibroids with presentations from expert patients, clinicians and naturopaths.  They are consulting to find out what women want in their new series of monthly forums. They also want to know how younger women want to be supported and how they can access the vast knowledge of older Black women who have accumulated a vast range of knowledge on how fibroids were dealt with ‘back home’ in order to explore potential wider options for women with chronic fibroids

The event will take place at Deptford X,   9 Brookmill Road, London SE8 4HL, on Saturday 10th  June 2017 from 1pm to 5pm

Places can be booked at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fibroids-fraternitee-workshop-tickets-34292467694?aff=efbneb

This event is in collaboration with the AntiUniversity Now Festival 2017.

On Wednesday,  we were so excited to host our third fibroids Twitter chat. We were joined by special guest Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids to discuss the symptoms and diagnosis of fibroids.  If you missed it you can check out our conversation below.

Hello all, it’s @AbiBegho here and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to The Lake Foundation’s #fibroids #TwitterChat. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Today we’ll be discussing the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of #fibroids. We’ll be putting questions to our special guest. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

I’m delighted to introduce our guest, @DrSydneyjd. Please tell us a bit about who you are and what you do. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Thank you for having me. I am a wife, mother, daughter, and professor who has dedicated her life to addressing fibroids #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Wonderful! Thank you for joining us again. You’re becoming a regular 🙂 Great to have you tonight #fibroidschat.

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Ok, we’ll get going with our discussion. Tonight we’re focusing on the #symptoms, #diagnosis and #treatment of #fibroids. #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

.@DrSydneyjd, let’s start at the beginning. How would a woman know she has fibroids? What are the symptoms? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Great Q. There are numerous symptoms. The most common include heavy bleeding, pain in the abdomen, lower back, and cramp #fibroidschat pt1

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

while others symptoms may include decreased fertility. #fibroidschat pt2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Those are a lot of #symptoms! Do women get all of those symptoms or just some of them and what is the most common #symptom? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Symptoms vary across women so it’s difficult to say, but heavy periods seems to rise to the top as most common often times #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

.@DrSydneyjd What other conditions may be associated with these symptoms? Other gynae conditions may have similar symptoms? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

There are a handful of other conditions associated with similar symptoms such as PCOS, ovarian cysts, polyps, etc #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

.@DrSydneyjd If a woman thinks she has symptoms what should she do? Should she go straight to her doctor or wait and see? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Depending on her level of discomfort, she can choose. I always suggest getting checked out as being informed. Trust yourself #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

.@DrSydneyjd How would a doctor/gynaecologist diagnose fibroids? What tests are done? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Fibroids can be found through numerous methods including ultrasound, lab tests, MRI, hysteroscopy, and other imaging tests. #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Can you tell us what a #hysteroscopy is? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Quite difficult to explain via twitter 😅. But in short a small lighted telescope is inserted into the cervix. #fibroidschat pt1

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Saline is also injected to help examine the walls of the uterus in search of the fibroids #fibroidschat pt2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Do these tests give doctors a good picture of the womb so they can see whether a #fibroid is present? Can they miss them? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Unfortunately, yes. Fibroids are easily missed because they can be found in all sorts of places with the uterine cavity #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

#fibroidschat What would you suggest someone does if they feel their symptoms are not being taken seriously?

— thefibroidforum (@fibroidforum) May 3, 2017

Great q. I always say trust yourself. Remember it’s the docs opinion, so i suggest getting a 2nd or even a 3rd opinion #fibroidschat pt1

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

There are plenty of woman and other ways to gain support so that your voice is heard and your experience is validated #fibroidschat pt2.

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

There are plenty of woman and other ways to gain support so that your voice is heard and your experience is validated #fibroidschat pt2.

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

@ThekindDiva Mine sure did! 😞 #FibroidsChat

— thefibroidforum (@fibroidforum) May 3, 2017

Another great q. They certainly can. In fact depending on how early you have them removed, they may be more likely to return #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

that’s not great to hear 😢

— Sheena Simpson (@ThekindDiva) May 3, 2017

I know…but u are more informed now. I wish we had time to talk through ways to minimize their return

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Sorry to hear that! ☹️. We hope you’re ok. #FibroidsChat https://t.co/BCrDO7QIc5

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

@DrSydneyjd @ThekindDiva Thank you. Change of diet, increased exercise and UAE procedure & I’m doing alright 😊 #FibroidsChat

— thefibroidforum (@fibroidforum) May 3, 2017

.@DrSydneyjd if people would like to find out more about your work, how can they? Do you have a website? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

Yep! Find me at https://t.co/zKw9ilkpyj or check out some of my work in Women’s Reproductive Health Journal. TY for having me #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) May 3, 2017

Sadly, we’ve come to the end of our #TwitterChat. A big big thank you to @DrSydneyjd for being such a wonderful guest. #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) May 3, 2017

#fibroidschat @TheLakeFound @DrSydneyjd @ThekindDiva Great chat as always. Thanks everyone!

— thefibroidforum (@fibroidforum) May 3, 2017

We are delighted to announce our next fibroids Twitter chat will be on  Wednesday 15^th  February 2017 from 7pm-8pm. We will be joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids, Candice Bryan, CEO and Founder of Noire Wellness and Leah Salmon, Founder of the Naturally You Coach with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

This Twitter chat has been organised to allow for an in-depth discussion on fibroids, diet and exericse.

We’ll be putting questions to our expert panel and you can put your questions to them too. So if you have a burning question about fibroids or just want to get involved in the discussion then do join us on the day. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

We look forward to tweeting with you!

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament of Westminster. They have launched an inquiry into whether women are given an informed choice about the treatment options available for particular conditions. Fibroids and endometriosis are among the conditions the group would like to shine a spotlight on.

The group will produce a report which will assess if women are given an informed choice about treatment options and outline what improvements  need to be made.

As part of this inquiry the group is inviting interested parties to submit written evidence. Evidence can be submitted via the following links (endometriosis) (fibroids) or emailed directly to appgwh@mailpbconsulting.com using the pro forma below. Patient experience, anecdotal evidence as well as any sort of data would be gratefully received.

The group would like to hear about current practice as well as potential barriers and issues in order to understand what key recommendations the group can take forward. The group will be accepting written evidence until the end of February 2017.

If you’ve been affected by fibroids we strongly encourage you to submit written evidence on your experience when you were offered treatment. This will make a significant difference and help identify any issues that exist can be identified so that these can be addressed to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment pathway for all women is improved.

If you would like any further information about the inquiry or the group’s work more generally, please contact the group secretariat at appgwh@mailpbconsulting.com or call 020 7735 6963.

Last night, we were so excited to host our first fibroids Twitter chat. We were joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids and Renee Brown Small Co-founder of The Fibroids Project with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

If you missed our Twitter chat you can check out our conversation below and look out for our next Twitter chat on Wednesday 15th February at 7pm (UK time).

Update June 2018: Please note that tweets from Renee Brown Small are no longer available so some information is missing from the chat below.

Hello all, it’s @AbiBegho here and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to The Lake Foundation’s first #fibroids #Twitter chat. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Fibroids are a common, but rarely spoken about #WomensHealth issue and we want to raise awareness and provide women with info #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Fibroids are a common, but rarely spoken about #WomensHealth issue and we want to raise awareness and provide women with info #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Over the next hour we’ll be putting questions to our guests, @DrSydneyjd and @FibroidsProject on a variety of issues. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

There will be time for you to make comments and ask our guests questions. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to be a part if this much needed discussion about uterine fibroids. Thank you for having us @TheLakeFound ! #FibroidsChat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guests.First, Renee Brown Small, from @FibroidsProject .Please tell us a bit about yourself. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guests.First, Renee Brown Small, from @FibroidsProject .Please tell us a bit about yourself. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

We also have @DrSydneyjd from Fighting #Fibroids. Please tell us a bit about who you are and what you do. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

I am an Asst. Professor of Communication @CMNDePaul Univ. Health campaign developer. Wife, mother, daughter! #FibroidsChat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

So… let’s start at the beginning. @FibroidsProject can you tell us what exactly are fibroids? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat #Fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. This is the what an opened uterus looks like after surgery#RxForLife pic.twitter.com/sNsC3Ih28L

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Thank you. We understand that there are different types of #fibrods. @DrSydneyjd can you take us through the different types? #fibroidschat https://t.co/X719hKxUPq

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Thank you. We understand that there are different types of #fibrods. @DrSydneyjd can you take us through the different types? #fibroidschat https://t.co/X719hKxUPq

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

The four are defined by their location in the uterus. More photos at https://t.co/MrTGm2sTLQ 2/2 #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

Ok, it looks like we don’t have any questions. So let move to the next question. @fibroidsproject What causes fibroids? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Thank you. It’s a shame the cause isn’t known as it does make prevention a bit difficult. #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

We might not know the cause, do you know factors increase a women’r risk of developing #fibroids? @FibroidsProject @DrSydneyjd #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Some factors that increase your risk include heredity, race/ethnicity, early onset of one’s period, weight, and diet #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat Here are some factors that can affect the risk of developing #fibroids.#RxForLife pic.twitter.com/TFvBT6gIzg

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Thank you. Quite a few factors affect risk. So what specific steps could women take to reduce their risk? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Unfortunately some of the risk factors are out of our hands, but we have some flexibility w/others like diet/weight etc. #fibroidschat 1/2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

New studies show decreasing the intake of foods high in estrogen and increasing intake of green leafy veggies is a start #fibroidschat 2/2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

@TheLakeFound Which foods have estrogen in them? Or would it be simpler to say which do not? #fibroidschat

— Jo Richards (@NearerNature) January 18, 2017

How much time do you have 😅?! There is estrogen in so many foods. I always suggest staying away from red meats as a first step #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat Here are some foods high in #estrogen #FibroidsChat pic.twitter.com/6VVS5vy3sX

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Great example of what I meant! Lots of foods have estrogen, but we also have to worry about artificial vs natural estrogen. #fibroidschat https://t.co/qN9sgzP6VM

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

Can we just highlight that Soy is a major concern and should be avoided. Vegans are particularly vulnerable #fibroidschat

— Jo Richards (@NearerNature) January 18, 2017

yes soya is such a major hormone disrupter that i still a staple in many vegetarians & vegans diets

— Leah Salmon (@naturalyoucoach) January 18, 2017

This is another great point, but I always note not demonize soy as there are conflicting studies on it’s impact at the moment #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

@FibroidsProject Fibroids are more common in black women? Why is this? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

At this time there isn’t enough research to pinpoint why this fibroids are so common especially given the many risk factors #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

We are delighted to announce our fibroids Twitter chat on Wednesday 18^th January 2017 from 7pm-8pm. We will be joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids and Renee Brown Small Co-founder of The Fibroids Project with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

This Twitter chat has been organised to allow for an in-depth discussion on fibroids, what they are, why black women are more at risk, symptoms, treatment and more.

We’ll be putting questions to our expert panel and you can put your questions to them too. So if you have a burning question about fibroids or just want to get involved in the discussion then do join us on the day. To take part in the conversation please use the hashtag #FibroidsChat.

We look forward to tweeting with you!

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament of Westminster. The group aims to empower women to ensure that they can make an informed choice about the best treatment for them and that they are treated with dignity and respect.

The group has launched an inquiry into whether women are given informed choice about the treatment options available for particular conditions. They aim to publish a report that will assess their findings around informed choice and provide recommendations on the improvements that need to be made.

Fibroids is a condition that they would like to shine the spotlight on and they would like to hear from women about their experience of living with and accessing treatment for fibroids. They are asking women with experience of fibroids to complete a survey which you can find here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/fibroids-informed-choice

If you’ve been affected by fibroids we strongly encourage you to complete the survey so that any issues that exist can be identified and addressed to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment pathway for all women is improved.

If you have any questions about the survey or about the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health please  email  appgwh@pbpoliticalconsulting.com or call 020 7735 6963

If you would like help completing the survey, please get in touch with The Lake Foundation by emailing us