Teresa Johnson

Danielle “Yel” Rennalls, she/her, 32, deals with uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are muscular benign tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus. Fibroid clusters can range in size from 1 mm to more than 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter or even larger. For comparison, they can get as large as the size of a watermelon.

Uterine Fibroids can cause extreme pain, heavy bleeding (which can cause anemia), frequent urination, pain during sex, lower back pain, complications during pregnancy and labor, and infertility, which is very rare.'

MOST FIBROIDS DO NOT CAUSE ANY SYMPTOMS, BUT SOME PEOPLE WITH FIBROIDS CAN HAVE THE FOLLOWING:

• Heavy bleeding (which can be heavy enough to cause anemia) or painful periods

• Feeling of fullness in the pelvic area (lower stomach area)

• Enlargement of the lower abdomen

• Frequent urination

• Pain during sex

• Lower back pain

• Complications during pregnancy and labor, including a six-time greater risk of cesarean section

• Reproductive problems, such as infertility, which is very rare

"I didn't really know until I graduated from college. I felt something pulsing at some point, which I've now come to realize means that you could be ovulating, but I didn't know that at the time. It kept happening, and I ended up having a really really bad period. It was so bad that I had to go to the emergency room."

The pain made her pass out.

The ultrasound technician explained,

"You have a teeny tiny little fibroid in your uterus, and that might be the cause of why you passed out. It's just a benign tumor and it can cause pain. Don't worry about it, just take Tylenol."

A few years later, she had another painful period where she passed out on the subway platform. She went to the ER for another ultrasound, and they found more fibroids on the outside of her uterus. She was sent to a specialist and was told to get a myomectomy to remove them.

She was going to get the surgery, but after realizing the extent and risks of having the procedure, "I realized that I didn't need to be cut into. If I decide to have children, I don't want the way I give birth to be affected..."

Her experiences with her doctors: "The person that I saw was very understanding, but I felt that she was not willing to hear me out on natural methods or a more holistic approach. She was just very much like yeah, let's schedule this surgery, and you won't be able to give birth vaginally, which gave me a panic attack."

She goes on to say, "It just felt like she wanted to cut into me before I could try something else to get rid of them." She was told that there wasn't anything else that can be done, and believes, "if you can treat an athlete's foot, I feel like you should be able to fix a fibroid. Why is it that it's on the inside of my body and it's attached to my uterus, that just makes it a prime candidate for shaving off?"

Danielle has been living with her fibroids, trying more holistic ways of healing like castor oil packs, not eating dairy, and balancing her stress levels.

"I go through months where things are totally good, and then there's other times where it's just really bad."

She is also no longer taking hormonal oral contraceptive pills.

"It's been a few months since I've been off of it, and my periods have been pretty normal. I have pain, but it doesn't make me pass out. I think my mental health is way more important."