Understanding the Tie Between Fibroids and Weight Gain

Is Weight Gain a Symptom of Fibroids?

Yes, weight gain is a common symptom experienced by many women living with fibroids.

Although fibroid symptoms, including weight gain, can vary from one woman to another, most women living with larger fibroids or a cluster of them will experience some level of change on the scale.

How Do Uterine Fibroids Cause Weight Gain?

Uterine fibroids can vary in size from as small as a seedling to as large as a watermelon, filling the space of your entire abdomen. Your uterus grows to accommodate them as they grow, similar to how it would in pregnancy.

When they are small or first developing, fibroids shouldn’t make you gain weight. In fact, you probably won’t even know they are there. When they are left to grow large, changes start to happen.

First, they can make your stomach stick out, even without adding pounds on the scale, because your uterus expands to accommodate fibroid growth. Because your uterus changes so much with fibroids, physical changes are similar to those in pregnant women.

When you aren’t pregnant and don’t have fibroids, your uterus is tucked deep inside your pelvis. It’s about the size of a pear.

With pregnancy, your uterus is palpable at your pelvic bone by the 12-week mark. By then, it’s expanded to the size of a grapefruit. And if you have a 6-inch uterine fibroid? You’ll notice very similar changes.

Fibroids also leave you feeling bloated. Because they change the size and shape of your uterus, fibroids may put pressure on your digestive system, making it more difficult to pass a bowel movement.

The enlarged uterus could also crunch on your bladder, making it difficult to empty and even causing swelling in your kidneys.

Altogether, these factors will make you look heavier than you are and may cause the scale to tick up a few notches, even when your diet and exercise plan remain unchanged.

While women will notice a change in their weight, they most often recognize the physical changes of weight gain in their pelvis or lower abdomen, giving off the appearance of pregnancy or extreme bloating.

How Do Fibroids Gain Weight?

Fibroids are noncancerous muscle tumors that go through cycles of growth and degeneration. Based on the amount of blood flow in each fibroid, they can grow in size, shape, and overall weight. Some women may experience more rapid fibroid growth than others.

Large fibroids can weigh several pounds and push against other organs in the abdominal cavity.

If you’ve been diagnosed with fibroids leading to weight gain, you should visit a fibroid specialist to determine the best treatment options. A procedure like uterine fibroid embolization could be right for you.

Fibroid Symptoms Can Cause Unintended Weight Gain

When living with fibroids, your menstrual cycle can be impacted, leaving you with long and heavy periods that can cause so much blood loss you may even develop anemia. In turn, you could become iron deficient.

When your period is extended and you’re stressed and uncomfortable, you may not stick to a fibroid-friendly diet. (Or even a healthy one.) Exercise can also fall by the wayside, even though working out could help improve your fibroid symptoms.

Once this happens, weight gain could become an unintended side effect, especially if you reach for comfort food or experience an upheaval in your regularly active lifestyle due to the implications of unrelenting and painful fibroid symptoms.

Effective Fibroid Treatment to Mitigate Symptoms in Houston

At Houston Fibroids, we recognize the negative impact of rapid and unexplained weight gain on your physical and emotional health.

You don’t have to live with a protruding abdomen due to fibroid size and weight gain. You should know that non-surgical fibroid treatment is available.

To learn more or schedule a consultation, contact us today.