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Feb. 5, 2025 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:44
Inside Cases of Massive Fibroids, You Have to See to Believe! | Dr. Oz | S10 | Ep 120 | Full Episode
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Time Text
Giant fibroids.
This was about 70 pounds.
Painful fibroids.
It can crush organs.
Can hair care products be the cause?
Has there been a link identified between any of these compounds and these reproductive organ issues?
So many women suffer in silence.
It has hurt the intimacy.
Absolutely.
We investigate fibroids.
And just listen.
It's pretty heavy.
Coming up next.
Y'all ready for season 10?
Yeah!
I love you, DuckDog.
Take a look at this image.
It is not what you think.
Nope, nope.
There's not a baby inside there.
It looks like it, doesn't it?
Doctor discovered something else growing inside.
A supergiant fibroid.
Today, inside the cases of giant fibroids that you have to see to believe.
So many women who've had these giant fibroids think they're gaining some extra weight.
Would you know if a massive fibroid is growing inside of you?
Take a look at this next video where doctors discovered a mass of fibroids that looks as big as a melon.
Alright, so these are another set of cases of uterine fibroids.
This one has two heads.
One, two.
This is the body of it.
There you go.
I'm going to remove this now, okay?
Thank you.
Okay, you can press the button.
Let's talk to someone who's actually lived with a massive fibroid.
Stephanie thought her metabolism was slowing down when she started gaining weight.
But she actually discovered a fibroid the size of a melon was growing inside of her.
She joins us via Zoom.
Stephanie, thanks for being here.
What symptoms did you notice at first?
At first, it was really just the weight gain.
And I did notice it was isolated to my stomach area or my abdomen area.
So that was an indicator of, okay, something is wrong.
I'm definitely not pregnant, so it has to be something else.
And that was when I realized, once I got my doctor's results, that it was a pretty large fibroid at that point.
So you shared your ultrasound with us, which I thank you very much for doing.
You can see the fibroid on the left side of the screen.
Everyone at home can just appreciate how big this was.
And it looks like it's about the size of a melon.
I mean, it's pretty big in there.
Describe what it felt like to have this mass growing inside of you.
So some of the things that began to develop after I realized what it was, was...
My bladder.
It was pushing up against my bladder.
It was uncomfortable just to go to the restroom.
It was uncomfortable to lay down.
And when I did notice rises and pain, it was pretty uncomfortable to...
I would have to lay in a fetal position at home for hours.
The pain was very unbearable, and I really didn't know, you know, how to deal with it.
At first, I thought, oh, it's something that a lot of women go through.
It's normal.
So I put off, you know, having the procedure done, but the symptoms just kept getting worse.
So I, you know, had to make that decision to...
So, like many women, you're faced with a lot of options.
At least you had the right diagnosis.
How did you finally treat it and how are you feeling now?
So, what actually happened was I was scheduled for a partial hysterectomy.
There were issues with that.
I was in a lot of pain, so I was just ready to get the procedure done.
And the doctor, her primary goal was to save my uterus.
Implemented a surgery called, it's called a da Vinci surgery.
Another word for it is a laparoscopic robotic myomectomy.
So basically what they do is they use the assistance of robotics to help minimally, it's a minimally invasive surgery.
So I have four small incisions.
So I was blessed in that aspect.
So luckily you were able to have the fibroid removed minimally invasively with a laparoscopic procedure.
How are you doing now?
I'm doing great.
I'm very active.
I don't have the issues that I had before.
I can work out without issues.
I can come to work consistently without issues.
So I feel 100 times better.
And thinking back, hindsight is always 20 to 20. So thinking back, I really just wish I would have taken care of it sooner and started my life a little sooner than I did.
Well, I love the pictures you're posting on Instagram.
Keep it up, and God bless you.
Thank you so much.
So, let me bring in someone who is seated all, gynecologist Evelyn Minaya.
So, walk us through some of these giant fibers.
Some of these things weigh 70 pounds.
70 pounds.
And I'm going to tell you, those are...
Super, super big, giant fibers.
Look at this thing.
But you can take them out and cure the person.
Yes, absolutely.
But you know what?
As fascinating as it is, you have to be really careful because it can give you extreme danger.
This is a 40-year-old woman.
This was about 70 pounds.
And she only lasted in the hospital six days.
Okay?
And then she went home and she had a full recovery.
Amazing.
However, when you look at this big monstrosity, you know, it does lead to other things.
It can crush organs.
It can give you intestinal obstruction.
That means you won't be able to poop or anything else like that.
But most importantly, your kidneys.
Okay?
It can put such pressure.
Okay, on the ureter, which is the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder, and it actually can lead to kidney failure.
It's a very, very serious thing.
This is the extreme, though.
So a bunch of expert gynecologists got together, and they generated a medical term for fibroids that are this size.
They are called giant fibroids.
Is that the best you guys can do?
I know.
Giant fibroids.
We're trying.
We're trying.
And a giant fibroid refers to anything that's 25 pounds or more.
Okay.
So the question then becomes, how does a giant fibroid form?
And the answer is, we really don't know.
We do know that it could be a mixture of genetic changes, okay?
The muscle of the uterus, and remember, the uterus is a muscle, and this is a benign, smooth muscle tumor, okay?
So we also think that estrogen, progesterone, you know, normal hormones that a woman has can also lead to the growth.
So a normal uterus like this?
Yes.
Absolutely.
Here's the body of the uterus.
These are the fallopian tubes, and your ovaries are right underneath the cervix.
So then it becomes this distorted thing that you really don't know what you're looking at.
Okay, fibroids, this big thing.
And over time, it can be calcified.
So it does depend on location.
Yeah.
Could you imagine you walking around with this thing?
It's not rubbery.
It's rocky.
Yeah, it's very rocky.
And like I said, over time, it can become calcified, and it could be this big.
So what are the symptoms folks ought to be paying attention to?
First of all, excessive bleeding.
It depends on where the fibroid is.
It can lead to you feeling constipated, going to the bathroom all the time, especially urinating.
Like every five minutes, you've got to go, you've got to go.
And that's because it exerts so much pressure there.
So who's at risk of developing fibroids?
Usually women that are of reproductive age, because obviously that's when we produce the most hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
So 20 to 35. Black and Hispanic.
Organic women are more at risk, but, you know, following is 70% of white women actually develop it.
Every single woman, 70% of women, can develop a fibroid.
It is amazing.
A lot has to do also with family history, okay?
So you really have to pay attention.
And all you need is an ultrasound to figure out if it's causing your problems.
It's causing infertility, a bunch of other issues.
We're going to talk about prevention and treatment a little later in the show, but up next, can your hair products be causing fibroids?
Stick around.
Up next, an eye-opening look into products women use every day that are being linked to Senior Jordan Sparks helped bring this to my attention.
So what are we focusing on?
Hair products that many black women are using right now.
You do not want to miss what we've uncovered.
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That's coming up tomorrow.
A new study has women seriously questioning the leave-in conditioner serums and relaxers they use every day.
Today, we're investigating.
Is there a link between hair products that target black women and an increased risk for breast cancer and fibroids?
Singer Jordan Sparks and I have been talking about this issue, and she's here to investigate it.
Jordan Sparks!
Hello!
Here she is.
How are you?
I'm good.
How are you?
Are you ready for this?
I'm ready.
It's important.
I'm ready to investigate, for sure.
So I sent my go-to hair investigator, Nikki Walton, also known as Curly Nikki, to see what we could uncover at a lab.
The hair care market in the U.S. is over $13 billion a year, and black women make up $2.5 billion of that.
On the label, it often says, for coarse and thick textures, or for coily and curly hair.
I wanted to see what all these products were actually doing to our hair.
So we visited the chemistry department at Medgar Evers College to get the lowdown.
There's a suite of hair products marketed to African-American women and children.
They range from relaxers, root stimulators, defrizzers, leave-in conditioners, and hair lotions.
And recent studies show that you have potentially dangerous ingredients that, if used long-term, could be very dangerous to your health.
Dr. Christopher Box and his students designed a series of experiments immersing real hair into various hair care products for different lengths of time.
So this is the before and this is the after.
And look, you can see there's a huge difference.
You can see like all these sort of like fine structures seem to be missing in the post-treatment of the relaxer.
The most pronounced thing that we saw from these microscopic images is how the natural state of your hair changes, has these ridges, this kind of natural exterior, but over time that exterior is being changed.
And I think it's damaging.
Jordan Sparks and Nikki Walton are here.
So Jordan, what's been your experience with these hair products, these straightening products?
For me, when I was younger, I actually had an experience where I went to a salon and the under part of my hair gets really, really curly, much curler than the top of my hair.
So to make it more manageable, we were going to just relax the bottom.
I ended up with a whole head covered in relaxer, and I remember laying there.
I was maybe 14 years old.
I didn't know.
I didn't know to question her.
I didn't know what to think.
I just remember my eyes burning because the ammonia was so strong.
And then after that, I remember my mom almost turning into like...
Raw or Monster?
Because my hair was straight.
And I have curly hair like yours.
I have lots of curly hair.
And, yeah, it was one of those things where I was like, I'm not touching that anymore.
She was angry because it happened to you or because you did it?
No, well, she took me there, but it was only supposed to be the under part of my hair, not my whole head.
And there's been an emotional breakup with some of these products.
Yeah.
Yeah, no, definitely.
For me, I revamped my whole lifestyle, my diet, back in 2005. And that trickled down to...
Like what I'm putting on my body, on my skin, my biggest organ, right?
And that includes my scalp.
So that, in addition to the fact that in the last 20 years, I've lost not one, not two, but three stylists to various types of reproductive system cancers.
And I can't say that it's because of their profession, but they're standing over those caustic chemicals.
There's no, you know, ventilation and there's, you know, no masks.
So just...
For precaution, I choose to make these types of healthy choices.
There's so many other alternatives.
I'd rather just stay safe.
I agree.
So, big debate over this.
I'm going to start off by explaining, maybe Jordan, you can come with me, exactly what's happening with these products when they're applied on your hair.
Okay.
And to do that, I want to zoom in to the head.
Okay.
But then I'm going to come back and I just talk a little bit about what the science says about this.
So, here we are standing right next to someone, right, who's about to have something done to their hair.
Now, notice how the hair is a little curly here, right?
And it's curly, let's zoom in here.
Yeah.
Because it has natural bonds that...
Hold it together.
The chemical relaxants, as we're putting on those little dots, right, they're put there to make the hair straight, damaging the natural properties of your hair.
That's how it straightens it out like that, right?
Yeah.
What does it do?
Stripping it.
Watch it.
See, it strips out the outer layer of your hair, leaving the ends of your hair thinner and more vulnerable to splitting.
That's the split ends you see there, right?
Yeah.
I mean, this is not natural.
You're not supposed to look like that.
Yeah.
It also would damage the curl pattern, too, if you keep doing it.
It takes a long time to get the curl pattern back.
So when you watch that animation, does that remind you when you were 14, lying there?
A little bit, yes.
I don't want that to happen, but I'm actually more concerned about what those chemicals do over time.
Long term.
Dr. Jen Cottle is joining us.
And this is something that I want to dig into a little bit, because Nikki highlighted the emotional disconnect that's happened here.
What are your concerns as a physician about what these chemicals may do to our bodies?
Well, yes.
Well, first of all, a lot of these products have chemicals with names such that it's even hard to pronounce the names.
Lots of chemicals, difficult to pronounce names.
And I relate so much to both of these ladies.
My hair actually is relaxed right now.
I've been getting a relaxer since I was very young.
And I have very similar experiences.
So this is a topic that's near and dear to my heart as well for personal reasons as it is all of us.
This is the thing, though.
There have been some studies that have looked at some of the chemicals in these products.
That are known as endocrine disruptors.
These are chemicals that may affect the hormones in our body.
They may mimic the hormones, block them, etc.
And there was another study that showed that at least 70% of a certain number of these products have endocrine disruptors in them.
Now the big question is though, is what do these endocrine disruptors do to our body?
Now that's the big question because we actually don't have the answer.
We still need more studies.
There's still a lot we just don't know.
If I just look at it from...
From the outside, as a physician, I see that black women have two to three times the incidence, for example, of fibroids.
Two to three times the rate of fibroids.
Big difference.
So, has there been a link identified between any of these compounds, these endocrine disruptors?
And the product and these reproductive organ issues.
So that's a great question.
Again, an issue that's near and dear to my heart as well as so many other women and African-American women.
Right now, we don't have a necessary causal link between the two.
We need more studies.
We just don't have the research that can tell us definitively if there is a link.
But the most important thing here, I think, is that we're asking the question.
This is something that needs to be looked at.
This is something that I think so many of us are so interested in to see.
Is there a connection?
Is there a link?
So I think that's probably the key.
take home here is that we're starting to ask these questions so that hopefully we can get answers.
The Knickers of the world have lost their ones.
They don't know if it's what it's caused by.
Jordan affected emotionally by this.
So I put all it together and I think we need to actually ask the questions a little more loudly.
We actually reached out to the Personal Care Products Council.
Here's what they said.
They responded pretty quickly.
A recently published study mischaracterizes ingredients that have a long history of safe use throughout the world.
Ingredients referenced in the study are commonly used in a diverse range of personal care products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that parabens has no effect on human health.
So you've heard both sides now.
If you are worried, and some people will be, some are you aren't, but if you are worried, it's important to know that not all hair products have these chemicals.
And up next, our hair investigation continues.
What to look for when buying safer alternatives, plus an experiment using my favorite food, which is Greek yogurt.
Can it work in your hair?
We'll find out.
I love getting to talk with you on my show every single day.
But when the cameras stop rolling, the conversation is not over.
I still have a lot that I want to talk about.
So download the Dr. Oz podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Having a relaxer was the thing to do.
It was the best way to look presentable and to manage your hair.
And for the longest, I allowed for my hair to be chemically treated.
I have literally spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on my hair.
From salon visits, putting relaxers in my hair.
They're like, oh, would you straighten it or would you wear a wig?
We aren't really here for the whole natural thing right now.
We're back investigating our hair products targeting black women linked to health problems like fibroids.
Singer Jordan Sparks is back and Nikki Walton, aka Curly Nikki, is backstage helping one of our viewers get an experiment to see how some natural solutions work.
Nikki, how's it going back there?
We're doing great, Dr. Oz.
So, the thing about hair is it affects so much more than just what chemicals may be in it.
And you've talked to a lot of women and identified an unintended consequence of all this hair work that has happened.
What is that?
Unintentionally, I kind of stumbled upon that.
A lot of women won't exercise because they don't want to sweat out their edges or sweat out their hair.
Also swimming, so that was one thing that surprised me, but I understand too.
If I'm working and I have my hair blown out like it is now, because you saw me, it was curly a couple days ago, I want to keep it as long as I can before having to get it wet again.
So I get it, but a lot of women won't exercise.
It never dawned on me, which is crazy, because I thought I would have figured this out years ago.
But it happens in my own family, and I get it as well.
But that's a bad problem.
Because if you can't go exercise, and as a physician, that's a much bigger problem than a lot of the other things we've been talking about.
Sure, yeah.
Right?
Because if you're, I mean, I don't know, how long will your hair look like that?
How many days?
If it doesn't get humid and it doesn't rain, I can go maybe three or four days.
So that's three or four days where you won't exercise, even if you have the opportunity.
Right, yeah.
It's a problem.
All right, let's bring in Nikki again.
She's back helping out our audience member backstage.
You've got a more natural hair alternative guide for us.
So what are the things on top of your hair products checklist?
Take it away?
Yes, yes, yes.
So, the first five ingredients are the most important in any hair care product formulation.
It makes up the essence of what it is.
They need to be easily readable, easy to pronounce, like water, like vegetable glycerin, humectants, things that moisturize the hair.
Hydrolyzed protein is incredibly important for strength and preventing damage.
Often people use, maybe you've used a mayonnaise mask or an egg mask to try to strengthen your hair.
The proteins in those types of ingredients, they don't work.
They're too large.
The protein is too big to enter the strand.
You need hydrolyzed protein.
I've been using mayonnaise for years.
See?
See?
No wonder.
The hydrolyzed proteins are small enough to enter the strand and actually prevent damage in the future.
And it'll just say hydrolyzed protein.
Yes, it'll say my favorite is hydrolyzed silk protein because it helps to balance the moisture protein levels in the hair.
You have a DIY for detangling.
Yes, so I love DIY treatments, and this is my favorite one, mostly because the Greek yogurt has lactic acid in it, which acts as a very mild and reversible relaxer.
So when you're detangling your hair, it smooths out the texture, makes detangling.
Super easy.
And the honey is a natural humectant, which attracts moisture into the hair.
It's amazing.
It leaves my hair so bouncy, so strong, and it looks thicker over time.
You can eat the leftovers, too.
And you can eat the leftovers.
What do you think about this?
I think it's great.
I love all the DIY things.
Because now, for me, even though I've always had this crazy up-and-down journey with finding products for my hair, I'm even more aware of the ingredients that go into everything because of my son.
And he has curly hair like mine.
So now I'm like, okay, I have this baby whose system is developing.
And then I know you son just kisses.
I got to see him.
He's just so cute.
Logan and honey on him.
He'd be delectable, right?
Yes, but it's important for me to find those things out, too.
Definitely.
So we have a viewer.
Vicky was helping backstage.
She's frustrated with her hair.
So she tried it out back there behind all the scenes out of the lights.
So here's what Kim's hair looked like before.
She doesn't look happy.
I love that facial expression.
Kim, come on out.
Surprise us.
Oh, my goodness.
Look at that.
Look at that.
That's all with Greek honey and yogurt.
Are you kidding me?
How are you?
How are you?
Are you satisfied by this?
Yes.
I love how it gives me bounce.
My hair has...
I can see that the moisture actually penetrated as opposed to laying on top of the strand, which is an issue that I have.
It looks so soft.
Yeah.
Can I touch it?
Yeah, you can.
You should touch it too, Dr. Ravis.
Sure.
It's beautiful.
Thank you.
May I touch it too?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure.
Always ask permission.
Yes, yes, yes.
So now that you've blown us away with this result, give us the details.
How much do you use?
How long do you leave it in?
I use a cup of whole fat organic Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of honey.
Mix it up.
I apply it to my dry hair.
Put on a plastic baggie so it doesn't drip.
Leave it on for about 30 minutes and then rinse and style as usual.
That's so simple.
And I do it about once a month.
If you have hair that is damaged, you can do it.
Oh, my goodness.
I love it.
So it's a treatment.
It's a treatment, and the best part, like I told her backstage, is your hair will be more manageable in between wash sessions, and it'll be less shrinky, so you'll get to show off a little bit more of your length.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Thank you for trusting us.
I appreciate it.
Thank you so much for having me.
I love the advice as always.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Jordan, it's a wonderful having you back.
Thank you.
All right, everybody.
You can find new hair guides and all these tips on my website along with an online video from Curly Nikki at a step-by-step tutorial to easy styling.
You're going to like it.
Check it out.
We'll be right back.
Are painful fibroids affecting your sex life and you don't know what to do about it?
Well, stick around because Dr. Jessica Shepard has some tips and tricks to help you get your groove back.
And I'm talking about the latest treatments that can shrink your fibroids and remove them for good.
Stick around.
About 70% of all women will experience fibroids and the extreme pain that comes along with them.
Many say it hurts their sex life, even their marriages.
It's the unspoken side effect that we are bringing to light today.
Moving past the shame and silence to start the healing.
Take a look at this.
I do suffer from fibroids.
The bleeding, pain, intense.
These things seem to become a hindrance on our intimate life.
This brings us to fighting and frustration and just a lot of miscommunications and a lot of misunderstandings.
I'm feeling frustrated.
I'm not sure if she is used as an excuse.
When I'm trying to be intimate, she tells me she hurts.
I feel bad for her when she says she's bleeding or in pain.
It's all the time.
I'm feeling that it may be me, not the excuses.
Marcy and her husband, Kenny, are here.
Gynecologist Dr. Jessica Shepard is also here to help you and every woman watching at home deal with these painful fibroids.
You said it was painful to hear him say that.
It was very painful to hear him say that.
I didn't realize it affected him the way it did.
Kenny, you're newlyweds.
You know, you want to be intimate with your partner.
Your wife has these diagnosed fibroids.
How did it affect you?
Well, I didn't know what they were at first.
And it hurts me to see the pain.
I don't know what to do about it.
And then the excuses.
You think that it's you instead of her pain, that she's using excuses.
And it's hard to deal with.
And then fighting, arguments.
So, Kenny, I'm just going to pick a word that you're using.
Excuse.
I hear that.
I think there's a little bit of blame in that.
That if you weren't having this issue, we'd be okay.
Is this really a problem or is it just an excuse?
There's a little judgment in there.
Do you feel that?
Yes, but like I said, at times things just ramble through your head.
You think that it's an excuse that you don't want to be with you or it goes for a long time where you don't have that.
Dr. Jessica, this is not the first husband you've met who has a hard time understanding fibroid pain.
We don't have fibroids.
So when women come into my office, you know, often the pain and the pressure that they go through or the bleeding that just completely can shut out date night is commonly what I hear.
But, Kenny, do you hear when she says that she feels that there might be some blame involved in what she's saying?
Does that move you at all?
Being blamed and stuff.
I don't know how to put it.
Your mind runs wild with it.
On your relationship, you know?
And when you hear him say these things, I can understand through your frustration and maybe even sometimes anger that she feels that is blamed, but that takes away from what can be some of the best parts of your relationship, which is intimacy.
But she really is trying to let you know that this is something she's going through.
I feel bad if she feels like I'm blaming her or putting any kind of blame on her.
Things also go through my head when it happens constantly.
Well, I hope today that we can make some breakthrough in order for you to maybe see what she's going through so it can have some impact on your relationship.
I would love that.
Absolutely.
Remember when you said in sickness and in health?
Yes.
It's one of those moments.
It is.
And it's easy to see the failings of your partner, but it's not always easy to understand why there's an issue.
I want to show you what these really look like.
Because not just you, me and everybody else, all the other guys out there need to get this.
So please have these.
Thank you.
So I brought you a little present, Kenny.
Here's some gloves, which I encourage you to put on.
And this is what a uterus with fibroids looks like.
Now these are bigger than a lot of fibroids.
Some fibroids are quite small.
They're like little peas.
So go ahead and hold that up.
You feel how they're bulky and how they have some weight to them?
So the uterus, if you turn that over the other side...
It's like a rock.
Yeah, it's very, very hard.
So you can imagine bumping into this and creating some issues.
So even during intimate moments, you know, when those fibroids are really large and they really go down into the pelvis, deep down into the pelvis, those are things that she can feel during intimate moments.
And that's why she might have pain during sex and sometimes even the bleeding.
That actually hurts my uterus now, looking at how big they are.
Like, it hurts.
So, K.A. Ball's in your court.
What do you think?
What can we do about it?
How do we...
That's such a male thing to say.
What can we do about it?
How do we fix this and move on?
You can't fix a feeling until you feel it.
So, if your wife...
And again, this is about your intimacy, but more importantly, your love.
Because I don't want the relationship being hurt because of a medical problem.
So she needs to feel that you love her, and I gotta say, she has to feel that you trust her.
I do love her, and I didn't understand what fibroids were.
Or what they were, like, nobody ever explained this.
Your beautiful wife needs to hear from you, not me.
I'm sorry.
I don't understand.
Yes, they're not fine.
I want everyone to stay tuned, call your friends, and tell them to tune in because 70% of women will experience a fibroid in their lifetime.
time and Dr. Jessica has some new treatment options that everyone needs to be aware of.
A real-life fatal attraction.
She was on this obsessive path focused solely on Dave.
Could the accused stalker just be another victim?
911, what's your emergency?
I've been shot.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
We're back talking about how to overcome painful sex caused by fibroids, OBGYN, and sexual health expert Dr. Jessica Shepard is here to help.
Here's the deal, guys.
When you're addressing painful intercourse from fibroids, it's important to start by knowing your options to shrink or even eliminate those fibroids themselves.
Get rid of the problem.
So Dr. Jessica has some options for men who do not want a hysterectomy.
Of course, if you want to have kids, you can't have a hysterectomy.
So Dr. Jessica, explain a couple of these procedures.
Which I think is important because women who don't want a hysterectomy have all these options.
So the myomectomy is probably one of the ones that most people know about.
And what we do is this surgical procedure can be an incision on the abdomen or minimally invasive where we use the laparoscopic or the robotic procedure.
But what we're doing here is we're essentially going into the abdomen and pelvis and looking for that fibroid.
So you can see that those instruments there are actually going towards that fibroid.
And they're cutting it out.
They're cutting out that fibroid, but we're still preserving the uterus.
Therefore, you can still use it for childbearing purposes after.
Next option, a uterine artery embolization.
Yeah, this one many women don't know about.
So as you see these major vessels, the interventional radiologist will put a catheter into and shoot all these pellets.
You see all those pellets and beads going to the blood supply.
They go right to the fibroid and cut off that blood supply.
Therefore, that fibroid can shrink and shrivel up and get small.
Yes.
So these are animations we showed.
And 80% of women who have one of these non-surgical embolizations reported improving their sex life.
80%.
They're actually measuring this stuff.
That's how real it is.
So it's not an excuse.
The newest technique, though, is something called radiofrequency ablation.
Yeah, and this one I'm so excited about.
I actually do this procedure, but this is new and innovative because it's a laparoscopic procedure, and it's done same day women go home.
But that's the fibroid.
Yes, this is the fibroid right here.
This is the actual radiofrequency ablation device that we put into the fibroid under ultrasound guidance while we're doing the surgery.
And what it does is it delivers energy through electrodes right into the fibroid, therefore, again, causing it to shrink.
You can see it.
Sort of almost frying this area.
Yeah.
It's like a raisin shriveling up.
All right, so how do you get the intimacy back?
In the meantime, while you're waiting for treatment, husband and wife, Kenny and Marcy are back.
Marcy's been diagnosed with painful fibroids.
You guys have had some issues in your sex life.
Yes.
I want to point something out.
The fact that they're measuring, Kenny, this is important, measuring how much sex has improved with these procedures means it's a problem for a lot of people.
So words like excuse, which I can understand why it slips out, it's just painful.
And if we're cognizant of it, it won't happen.
Which is how the most important bond, the love bond, stays intact.
Yes.
We're on the same page.
Yes, I put a lot of blame on her.
It shouldn't have been happening.
I think he got it!
I think he did, Dr. I. Jessica's going to get you all on track.
The first is embracing the self-care regime.
This is not soft, fuzzy whizzies.
This is real stuff.
This is real stuff.
Mindfulness is really where medicine is going today, and I want you to take that time to improve your self-care routine, whether that's taking yoga, whether that's seeing a therapist, taking a walk.
Really implementing those things into your daily routine really takes you out of the situation and makes you feel better about yourself.
I'm willing to talk.
Run towards this.
Yes.
Number two, going to add some things to your daily...
Actually, what would you do right now?
Are there things that Dr. Jessica mentioned?
Oh, definitely exercising.
I think that would kind of help with the core.
I'd love to try any type of food to kind of enhance.
And I'm thinking about that little surgery thing you got going on over there.
Yeah.
That's great.
And some of those things you can do together.
Not the surgery, but the other stuff you can do together.
All right.
Foods, plant-based diets make a difference.
Yeah, plant-based diet, actually, we know that that's really going to help.
So green leafy vegetables, making sure you have a plant-based diet with your beans and your legumes.
Also, green tree extract and teas, that has antioxidants in there.
That's really going to give you the energy that you need, especially when you're anemic.
Yeah, that's great.
And there's lots of plant-based foods now that they look like chicken.
They look like hamburgers, and they're all plant-based.
So you don't have to give up the normal foods.
But if you want to deal with the fibroids, deal with the relationship, and have some kids.
It's worth making the investment.
Become the world expert in plant-based foods.
And both of you can do that.
Yes.
Finally, the moment Ken's been waiting for the entire time.
He waited for the last...
These intimate acts that you can do that might help the relationship.
I'm going to let Jessica talk about this and I'll stay out of it.
Absolutely.
So, again, we talked about self-care, but now we want intimate moments where you two are going to be able to enjoy each other, right?
You want to enjoy each other.
This is what this whole thing is about, right, Kenny?
Yes.
We want to enjoy each other.
So, that's going to make sure that when you have those intimate moments that you're taking the time.
Taking time to make sure that she's ready, taking time by using things like massage oils, taking a bath together, making sure that you're actually prepping the moment so that it's more comfortable, and then also you're using everything that you can in your power to make sure that she's comfortable and she knows that there's no moments where you think you're gonna blame her or that she's coming up with an excuse, right?
Seems to be your favorite word.
We're gonna take that word out of your vocabulary, but we want you to use things such as massage oils, taking a bath together, taking time for each other.
In your intimate moments...
Where does this go?
We are going to make sure that we give them all the tools for all of this.
Yeah, you take that.
Figure that out.
And you take this one, right?
I'll take this one.
I don't know where that goes.
Those aside, there is something that's really important.
You felt the fibroids, right?
Yes.
So there's actually a physical element to this.
So the position, as you get intimate, might make a difference.
And most women who have a really big fibroid, especially if it's on the front or the back of the uterus...
That really can play a part when you're sleeping, right?
When you're resting, you can feel kind of that shifting of the uterus because it's so heavy.
So using actual blankets or pillows like this that can actually elevate or allow you to rest maybe your legs in between them, that actually can displace some of that pressure and make you feel better when you're resting.
After you have your intimate moments with each other, right, Kenny?
Yes.
Yes.
Marsha, thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you.
Ken, thanks for coming on.
Thank you.
Dr. Jessica, lots of advice.
Thank you.
Great advice.
A complete guide to fighting firewoods with all your options at dros.com.
We'll be right back.
A night at the movies could be scarier than the film.
What was the most disturbing thing you found?
We're investigating the five germiest hotspots.
Number one on our list.
It is even dirtier than your toilet.
That's coming up on Wednesday.
We've been talking about fibroids today, but what if you're feeling pain and it's actually something else?
Well, we've got the pelvic pain decoder to find out what's really going on with you.
Every woman has felt some sort of pelvic pain, especially crapping.
So I asked the front row of my audience to come up with the best word to describe them.
So, take it away.
Achy.
Achy.
Not too good.
Cruel.
Yes, because it steaks up on you.
Not fair.
Miserable.
Miss.
You add it all together, you have unhappy people.
And of course, there's always one of the audience members who says...
Please send vodka.
Is that related to the cramps?
Is that bad?
Maybe.
Maybe.
All right.
Dr. Evelyn Minaya is back to help decode some of this pain.
You say it's actually pretty important to stay focused on and to pay attention to the cramping.
Yes, absolutely.
Cramping is a physical manifestation that something is going awry down there.
Okay, so, and I want to join you in the vodka thing.
Yes, vodka might help, but it's not the best way of dealing with the cause of the problem.
So, let's start decoding what painful cramping means.
First off, there's the painful cramping that's associated with burning pee.
Now, what does that say to you as an OBGYN? As an obedient, that is like medicine 101, right?
It's a urinary tract infection.
All right, so since they're so common, give me a home remedy that you recommend.
Oh, this is my favorite.
D-mannose.
D-mannose is a sugar.
D-mannose is found in cranberries, in apples, and blueberries.
But what's really interesting is that people love to only do like cranberry juice and cranberry for the acid.
It's not really the acid, it's the D-mannose.
Now remember, this will relieve your symptoms, but it doesn't treat it.
Okay, so you usually need antibiotics for that.
Sometimes you pee out enough bacteria that you can get past.
Absolutely.
First line.
Painful cramping that doesn't seem to quit.
What is that?
That could be lots of things, but one of the things that you really have to pay attention to, not quitting, the duration.
Is it during your cycle?
Is it more than a couple of days during your cycle?
Is it presenting all over in your back?
And also, especially when you have painful bowel movements, that's not normal in any shape, way, or form.
What's the diagnosis?
Endometriosis.
Endometriosis.
Something that people hear about, they get intimidated by.
One in ten women in their 30s and 40s is affected by endometriosis.
So let me just explain why this even happens.
There's a rational reason why it's so common.
So let's go inside your belly, inside the pelvis, and nestled in there is the uterus.
There it is.
Now, in the uterus is a lining, but that lining gets thicker, as you know, every month.
month, these little specks of endometrium, they'll land on the ovaries, on the fallopian tube itself, on the uterus, on the bladder, which is why you get back pain.
And this pain can be really excruciating, right?
During menstruation, because the uterus is contracting and those little pods of material are contracting with it.
When you're having sex, even when you go to the bathroom.
And a lot of women have been opening up about their endometriosis surgical incisions.
These are photos.
We pull these off the internet.
They're everywhere.
It's a big deal.
And I'm proud of all the women who have come forward talking about it.
But if you have endometriosis, Thank you.
Or if you think someone you love is having these kinds of symptoms, which are, again, all over the place, what's the best way to manage them?
Talk about it.
That's the best way to manage it, first of all, to talk about it and come up with a treatment plan.
But in the meantime, home remedies.
This is one of my favorite.
The venerable hot bottle, you know, thing to your abdomen, which is great.
But, you know, this is not your mother's.
Hot water bottle.
Hot water bottle, right?
And then you go knitting as well.
Yes, which is very, very nice as well.
So that, I know, you know, we can put this in there so that nothing really, really hot to touch the skin because you can burn.
Go ahead and put it.
Yeah.
So these hot water bottles, and there are different ways of doing this.
There are things you can microwave these days, make it really quickly.
But they sneak in there.
A little bit of a surface between you and the heat would be nice.
And then just sort of nestle with it.
It actually soothes everything, relaxes all the surrounding tissues.
And you can put it on your back.
And it's not that, you know, that big.
Like the old, you remember those old water bottles?
I know we're both, you know, telling our age.
But anyway, but in the front, in the back.
It's really soothing.
This is not addictive.
Yes, exactly.
All right, next up, you get cramping and bloating with gas altogether.
Cramping, bloating, and gas.
Guess what does that mean to you?
That might be signs of irritable bowel syndrome.
So you can have IBS with diarrhea, you can have IBS with constipation, or a little bit of both.
So what do you do for it?
Well, first of all, lifestyle changes is very important.
A probiotic also helps.
Yogurt.
Yogurt and a probiotic.
Doing great things just to make you go if it's constipation that you have, especially prunes.
Prunes!
Prunes!
Who's afraid of prunes here?
Thankfully.
They're good.
You're okay?
Put your hands up if you like prunes.
Prune eaters?
Oh, I'm proud of you guys.
Oh, wow.
I'm so proud of you.
The smartest audience in television.
Absolutely.
And nobody likes prune juice.
How many people like prune juice?
I like prune juice.
Yes, so do I. Yeah, so do I. So it makes you go.
So these are natural things.
Contains a lot of fiber just to get you going.
If that doesn't work, okay, also lifestyle changes.
Okay, you have to decrease your stress levels.
Yoga, happiness, gratefulness, every day.
I'm grateful to have you here.
We'll be right back.
A real life fatal attraction.
Could the accused stalker just be another victim?
I've been shot.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Today, why science says you should microwave your tea.
That's right, microwave it.
And before all the tea snobs get upset that it's not proper, research says nuking your tea may have extra nutritional benefits, maybe better for you, especially if you microwave green tea, which is what I love.
Audience member Lori is here.
She's a big-time tea drinker.
You look a little skeptical.
Yeah, because I like, I have a tea kettle, put it on the stove, put my water in.
Not a fan of the microwave.
Old school.
Yeah.
Alright, here's the deal.
I don't happen to think it was a good idea either, but I did the research on it.
And here's what folks are finding.
When you microwave the tea, the process releases 30% more antioxidants called catechins, right?
Those are the really powerful things we need in our body, which can help lower your bad cholesterol numbers.
It can also prevent cancer, theoretically.
Plus, if you want to prevent an afternoon slump, the tea hack can give you an extra energy boost since it releases more caffeine.
So I'm just know-it-all.
I'm going to show you how to do this.
You think it through, all right?
So the first thing you got to do is make sure there's no staple on the bag because you're going to put it in the microwave.
So this is a roped one, and many are, but there's a fine one without staples.
Then you do what you normally would do.
You pour a little hot water in your teacup, right?
Now, this is all straightforward.
You wait 30 seconds.
Remember, normally you take two, three minutes to steep your tea, right?
Right, right.
Instead, 30 seconds in, you put the tea into the microwave.
Put it at 50% power, right?
You don't want a full power for a minute, right?
Now, that just saved you at least a minute, minute and a half, right?
Right.
You'd have to wait around, which I hate doing.
Plus, here's the thing.
When you microwave it, it actually, I don't think, changes the taste at all, yet you get all the benefits.
So please give it a taste, see if you agree with me.
Lori, the skeptic, will allow us her honest opinion about whether this is an adequate taste for her.
If it suits her needs, this might be worth considering.
What do you think?
It's delicious.
It's your cup of tea now.
It's my cup of tea.
There you have it.
Together, change is happening.
Our journey is just beginning.
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