What Are Fibroids?

If you are reading this, you probably just left a doctor’s appointment. You might be holding a pamphlet, or you might be sitting in your car furiously Googling terms like "leiomyoma" or "myomectomy."

First: You are safe.
Uterine fibroids are benign. That is medical speak for "not cancer." They do not spread to other parts of the body.

Second: You are not alone.
By age 50, up to 80% of women will develop fibroids. It is one of the most common—yet least talked about—conditions in women’s health.

But knowing they are "common" doesn't make the heavy bleeding, the bloating, or the pelvic pressure any less terrifying. Here is the plain-English breakdown of what fibroids actually are, why they grow, and what you can do about them.

The Biology: What is a Fibroid, Really?

Doctors call them Uterine Leiomyomas.
But if you could hold one in your hand, it wouldn't feel like normal flesh. It would feel hard, like a rubber ball or a stone.

Here is the science most doctors skip:
A fibroid isn't just a "growth." It is a structural error.
It happens when a single smooth muscle cell in the uterus goes rogue and starts multiplying uncontrollably. But it doesn't just build muscle; it builds a stiff cage around itself made of Collagen and Extracellular Matrix (ECM).

This "fibrosis" (stiffening) is why they feel so hard when you press on your stomach, and why they are so resistant to shrinking on their own.

The Fuel: Why Do They Grow?

If the collagen is the "bricks," hormones are the "work crew."
Fibroids are hormonally responsive. They feed on:

1. Estrogen: Promotes the growth.

2. Progesterone: Maintains the bulk.

This is why fibroids typically appear during your reproductive years (when hormone levels are high) and tend to shrink after menopause (when hormone levels crash).

The Three Types (Location Matters)

Your symptoms depend entirely on where these "collagen balls" decide to park themselves.

1. Subserosal (The "Bulk" Builders):
   These grow on the outside of the uterus. They rarely cause heavy bleeding, but they take up space. They press on your bladder (causing frequent urination) or your bowel (causing constipation). Women with these often say, "I look 5 months pregnant."

2. Submucosal (The Bleeders):
   These grow inside the uterine cavity. Even a tiny one (the size of a grape) can cause chaos. They disrupt the uterine lining, leading to the heavy, prolonged periods (Menorrhagia) that leave many women anemic and exhausted.

3. Intramural (The In-Betweeners):
   These grow within the muscular wall itself. They are the most common type and can cause a mix of pain, pressure, and bleeding.

The "Watch and Wait" Trap

Once diagnosed, most women are given two extreme options:

1. Surgery: Cut them out (Myomectomy) or remove the uterus entirely (Hysterectomy).

2. Watch and Wait: Go home, do nothing, and come back in 6 months to see if they got bigger.

At Cymbelina, we believe there is a massive gap between "Do Nothing" and "Major Surgery."

We call it Active Management.

Can You Support Your Body Naturally?

While you cannot simply "wish" a fibroid away, you can change the environment they live in.
Recent clinical research suggests that we can target the biological drivers of fibroids—specifically the Inflammation, the Vitamin D Deficiency, and the Fibrosis.

• Vitamin D: Research shows that women with sufficient Vitamin D levels are significantly less likely to develop fibroids.

• EGCG (Green Tea Extract): A 2023 study from Johns Hopkins University found that this compound helps inhibit the pathways that build that stiff "Extracellular Matrix."

• B6: Helps regulate hormonal activity to prevent the "estrogen dominance" that fuels growth.

The Takeaway

A fibroid diagnosis is not a life sentence of pain. It is a signal from your body that it needs support.
You don't have to just "watch" them grow. You can start changing your uterine environment today.