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Venus Williams is a global star in her own right. She not only won accolades and dominated the women’s tennis for years, but along with her sister Serena, became an icon for gender and race equality. Venus hasn't officially announced her retirement from the game yet, however, it would be a fair call to say she has acquired a legend status already. And given her fan following, anything she says on a public platform becomes a point of debate, especially on social media. Recently, Venus shared her struggles suffering from uterine fibroids and said that she was told the symptoms of the excruciatingly discomforting condition was ‘normal’.
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What Is Uterine Fibroid
Dr Manjula S Patil, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Bangalore,describes fibroids as the most frequently seen benign (non-cancerous), slow-growing tumours that are seen in reproductive age group age women. Still, more than 50% of these tumours have no symptoms and do not require treatment, other than an annual follow-up scan which is essential.
Fibroid Causes
There are no definitive causes identified with the condition, however some common denominators are:
- Obesity
- Early-onset of menstruation(before 10 years)
- Hereditary/family history of fibroids
- Nulliparity (No Pregnancy)
- Increased BP
Excrutiating Pain Dismissed As ‘Normal’
Recently, in an interview with TODAY, Venus opened up on her struggle with fibroids and said that she suffered years of pain, while the doctors dismissed her symptoms as ‘normal’. “I’m sharing now because I was outraged that I didn’t know this was possible. I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” the tennis star said. “As bad as things were for me, crazy amounts of bleeding like you couldn’t imagine, lots of pain where you have to take prescription painkillers … My doctors told me it was normal. I never realised (anything) was wrong.” Venus said that the condition got worse as she grew up to the point where she would ‘hug the toilet’ and ‘wait for it to pass’ and in the process ended up affecting her game as well. Eventually, she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, a condition that the majority of women suffer at least once in their lifetime with this condition of extreme pain and discomfort and yet for most of them, it remains undiagnosed. According to a study published in the Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 70% of women suffer from fibrosis until the age of 50.
Why Fibrosis Remains Undetected
Fibrosis is hard to detect because the symptoms overlap with common periods. This makes it difficult for doctors as well. When a woman goes to the doctor and complains about excessive bloating, bleeding and pain, these symptoms may be seen as an exaggeration of ‘normal period symptoms’ and hence the condition goes undetected.
Conclusion
Periods, for women, are challenging as they are and when coupled with a severely painful condition such as fibrosis, the daily life for a woman could be excruciating. If you or anyone you know is potentially suffering from the condition, it is highly advised to seek immediate medical help and be better safe than sorry.