#WCW: Evette Dionne is a Fighting Fibroids Warrior

As Houston fibroid specialists, we commit to fighting fibroids with minimally invasive treatment options. But we often have an uphill battle. Many doctors tell their patients that Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is an option. (UFE is a procedure that starves fibroids of blood and oxygen through injections delivered via catheter. It effectively kills them.) And because not all doctors are on our team, many women with fibroids believe they must have surgery. But here's one woman who's joined the fight to help fibroid patients learn their options. Here's to you Evette Dionne, our Woman Crush of the Week! 

Fighting Fibroids: Making a Warrior

Like Ms. Dionne, editor in chief of Bitch Media, many black women spend years dealing with fibroids for years. (These are non-cancerous tumors that develop in and on the uterus.) Even worse, experts don't know exactly why women of color are more affected by fibroids. But the phenomenon is so bad, the New York Times has recently devoted several features to highlighting the plight of black women with fibroids.

Luckily, Dionne has always felt comfortable advocating for her own best healthcare, but Dionne also realizes that not every woman is equally capable of doing so. Still, there wasn't much she thought she could do--until one common fibroid-sufferer experience changed everything.

Recently, Dionne had a two-week menstrual period, something that's not so unusual for women with fibroid tumors. She decided to tweet about it, because so many black women like herself suffer from fibroids, but don't earn their doctors attention, leaving them with fibroids so large their only treatment option is hysterectomy. In her tweet, Dionne said: "Nearly every Black woman I know has fibroids, and nearly all of their doctors have told them it’s nothing to worry about. That’s a lie. You should be concerned, monitoring the fibroid’s growth through transvaginal ultrasounds, and getting second opinions."

Since sending out that tweet, Dionne has launched a mini Twitter series on fibroid care, hoping her stewardship will help other Black women receive the best possible fibroid care.

Fighting Fibroids: Is it Better to Monitor or Remove ?

Dionne was diagnosed in 2015 with fibroids. She tells Prevention magazine that she gets an ultrasound from her gynecologist every six months to monitor her fibroid growth. She also gets annual biopsies to make sure she's shedding her uterine lining each month, and to ensure there are no cancerous cells in her uterus.

Still, Dionne says, some of her symptoms are very difficult to manage. “My doctor has experimented with different medications to control the bleeding, and so far, none have worked as intended. At some point, I will have to consider having the fibroid removed to eliminate the symptoms,” she says.

We support Dionne in her fibroid struggle, and we hope that, when the time comes for her to address the root cause of her symptom, she will be vocal in illuminating the surgical and non-surgical options available to her and other women suffering from their fibroid symptoms.

Sources: Prevention.com