There's an unspoken issue many women face: the fibroids mental health impact. You probably already know that women with uterine fibroids can experience many physical symptoms, including heavy bleeding, back pain, pain with sex, uterine enlargement, bloating, severe menstrual cramps and more. These issues can interfere with your ability to complete your daily tasks. But they can also impact your overall mood. In today’s post, we explore how fibroids can affect your mental health, and the steps you can take to find physical and emotional relief.

Key Takeaways

• Treating fibroids relieves the physical and mental burden associated with these tumors
• Uterine fibroid tumors cause a variety of physical symptoms
• The burden of those physical symptoms can negatively impact a woman’s mental health

Table of Contents

1. Physical symptoms of fibroids
2. The fibroids mental health connection
3. Stress contributes to fibroid growth
4. Tips for stress management
5. Fibroid treatment options

Physical Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

Some women with fibroids never experience physical symptoms. However, depending on the size and location of these benign uterine tumors, fibroid symptoms can become quite intrusive. As they grow, they can cause you to develop an enlarged uterus. They may put excess pressure on surrounding structures, leading to frequent urination, problems with digestion, and more. Depending on their location, sex may become painful. And, when dealing with multiple fibroid symptoms, a woman’s emotional well-being may suffer.

Fibroids Mental Health Impact: Stress Takes a Toll

Since fibroids can impact so many areas of your life, they can cause you to experience significant levels of stress. In fact, in this study, researchers discovered that ongoing worries about fibroid symptom progression caused women to experience anxiety, guilt and isolation. Furthermore, they found, lack of social support can also cause women to experience insecurity. Finally, the authors concluded that living with fibroids made women—especially older ones—face  “challenges in health management, family support, financial stability, and social inclusion. These domains interacted to form a reinforcing network that intensified both physical and psychological burdens. Addressing these interconnected stressors through integrated medical, psychosocial, and policy strategies is essential to improving the well-being of this population.”

Stress Feeds Fibroid Growth

While experiencing stress is one of the ways that fibroids can affect mental health, that stress can also impact the uterine tumors. When your body experiences stress, it produces cortisol, a stress hormone. That cortisol blocks production of progesterone, allowing estrogen to proliferate, unchecked, in your body. Unfortunately, that estrogen will feed your fibroids, potentially leading to tumor growth or proliferation. In turn, your symptoms may worsen, and your mental health will be further impacted.

Managing Stress to Reduce Fibroids Impact on Mental Health

When stress levels rise, it’s important to take action to lower cortisol levels in your body. Something as simple as 10 minutes of daily meditation can lower stress levels. Getting regular exercise can also help the situation, both by reducing your cortisol levels and by helping balance estrogen levels in your body. Still, having fibroids will continue being a source of stress in your life. And that stress won’t go away as long as you have symptomatic tumors. So, to be address this vicious cycle, it’s best to treat the real source of the problem—your uterine fibroid tumors.

Fibroid Treatment in Georgia

As the study authors suggest, medical intervention can help reduce the effect of fibroids on your mental health. In fact, this 2024 study revealed that seeking treatment significantly improved quality of life and mental health for women living with fibroids. Now, this study looked at multiple forms of treatment—including surgical options. However, at Georgia Endovascular, our interventional radiologists know that treating fibroids with surgery can be costly, and it can lead to additional health concerns during your extended recovery. Unfortunately, that can exacerbate the effect that fibroids have on your mental health, since ‘health management’ and ‘financial stability’ were identified as two key concerns for women living with these uterine tumors. Fortunately, you can treat your fibroids without invasive procedures or overnight hospital stays. Connect with our team to request a consultation at one of our three locations in the greater Atlanta region. When we see you in one of our offices, we’ll discuss your candidacy for UFE, a minimally invasive fibroid treatment option that shrinks tumors without surgery.request a consultation [/ga-appt-link] and learn more about UFE, a minimally invasive fibroid treatment option.