30% of women who have Fibroids show symptoms of heavy periods- Dr Koby Appiah Sakyi

The Associate Professor of Medicine and CEO of Brittannia Medical Centre, Dr Koby Appiah Sakyi, has disclosed that only 30 percent of women who have fibroids show symptoms, with heavy, prolonged and painful periods being the most common.

According to Dr Sakyi, fibroids are non-cancerous growths in or around the womb that many women may have without knowing.

He stated that seven out of ten women will develop fibroids during their lifetime, but most of them, about 50 to 60 percent, do not show any signs.

“Many women only discover they have fibroids when they get pregnant and go for a scan,” he said.

He explained that for the few women who experience symptoms, the clearest warning sign is a change in their menstrual cycle.

“If your period was normally four to five days and now it lasts seven days, you bleed heavily, change pads quickly or soak yourself at night or during work, then it’s time to get checked. You may have developed fibroids,” he advised.

Dr. Sakyi added that fibroids can also cause pain during sex, a swollen lower abdomen that looks like a pregnancy, and difficulty in getting pregnant.

He added that in some cases, fibroids can lead to miscarriages or make it necessary for a woman to deliver by caesarean section because of where the fibroid is located.

He warned that women with a family history of fibroids, especially if their mother, sister or aunt has had them, are three times more likely to develop fibroids themselves.

Although the exact cause of fibroids is still not fully understood, Dr Sakyi said there may be a link to obesity, poor diet and certain lifestyle habits.

However, he noted that the scientific evidence supporting these links is not yet strong.

He encouraged women to pay attention to changes in their bodies and go for medical checkups, especially if they notice abnormal bleeding or have trouble conceiving.

By Jacob Aggrey