January 8, 2024
Can Fibroids Shrink Through Exercise?
While exercise and diet have been shown to have an effect on the severity of symptoms of fibroids, lifestyle changes won’t shrink or remove your fibroids - for this, you’ll need treatment such as uterine fibroid embolisation.
However, just because changes to your diet and activity levels won’t cure your fibroids, doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile. In this blog, we’ll break down the details and explain why you should increase your activity levels to help with your fibroids, and provide some suggestions for which exercises are best.
What are Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids (called leiomyomas) are a common, benign growth in the uterus, made up of muscle and connective tissue from the uterine wall.
Fibroids occur in about 25% of women and can be asymptomatic, meaning you won’t always have any symptoms or otherwise know they are there. Whilst they generally aren’t dangerous, they can cause significant discomfort and serious symptoms for some sufferers.
What Causes Fibroids to Grow?
The exact cause of fibroids is unknown, but there are a number of potential causes that are widely regarded as playing some role in the initial development of, and continued growth of, fibroids. These include:
- Family history of fibroids
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Blood pressure
- Age
- Lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise
Is Exercise Good for Fibroids?
I often get asked if exercise will prevent fibroids, and the short answer is no, so before we discuss the benefits of exercise let’s talk about its limitations in relation to fibroids.
It’s important to understand that fibroids can still develop in women who exercise regularly, but it has been shown that exercise and a healthy lifestyle can stop fibroids from growing larger.
It has been suggested that the reason why this is, is due to hormone levels and how exercise can regulate them.
A 2011 study found that exercise can lower estrogen and progesterone levels in women - the two hormones associated with fibroid development and growth.
It has also long been thought that your body weight impacts fibroid development - obesity has been considered a leading cause by experts for some time.
Regular exercise can reduce body fat and help you better manage your weight.
So it does appear that exercise is good for fibroids, but what type of exercise is best?
What Exercises are Best With Fibroids?
When it comes to deciding what exercise is ‘best’, it really comes down to two things: how severe your symptoms are and how much this impacts your ability to be active, and what sort of exercise you enjoy and will keep you motivated.
That said, however, there are some recommendations you can try:
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to keep active, and since it is low impact (and there is a wide variety of styles to choose from) it is perfect for anyone with a condition that may limit their movement.
Yoga has been shown to help with pain relief from endometriosis - a 2016 study found that women who did yoga twice a week for 8 weeks were able to better manage their pelvic pain resulting from their condition.
A second study found similar results, with the researchers noting that practising yoga was associated with lower levels of chronic pelvic pain.
Since fibroids often present with pelvic pain (and they are also a uterine condition) it makes perfect sense to try yoga to help not only manage your pain but to boost activity levels.
If you’re looking for the perfect yoga poses, try these 7.
Running
Running (or jogging or even walking) has huge benefits for your cardiovascular health and can help moderate your weight. The great thing about running is it’s flexibility - you can run at the park, in the street or even on a treadmill at home or the gym. You can also alter your intensity levels depending on your overall health or energy levels.
Swimming
Similar to running. swimming is great for your heart and lung health. Unlike running, it is low-impact which can make it a great option for those just starting out with exercise, or who have had issues with knee or ankle health in the past.
Weight Lifting
When it comes to exercising, very few activities provide more benefits than lifting weights. You can torch your body fat, improve muscle composition, increase your cardiovascular health, strengthen joints and tendons, and improve mental health.
In fact, a 2021 study found that weight lifting was superior to traditional cardio exercises in reducing body fat - which makes it perfect for helping with fibroids.
A word of advice, though, is to avoid heavy weights and stick to light to moderate weights. Heavy weight lifting may actually worsen symptoms. Aim for a weight you can perform 8-12 times.
Pilates
If lifting weights isn’t your thing, pilates may offer the perfect substitute. Coming in somewhere between yoga and weight lifting in terms of intensity, it offers a low-impact way to build muscle, reduce body fat and improve cardiovascular health.
Will My Fibroids Shrink if I Lose Weight?
Maintaining a healthy body weight, in particular reducing body fat, can help prevent fibroids from growing any larger and may help you better manage your symptoms, but unfortunately, the only way to shrink or remove your fibroids is through medical treatment such as medication or surgery.
Can Exercise Aggravate Fibroid Symptoms?
A common question is “what exercises should I avoid with fibroids?” While the easiest answer is to simply avoid anything that causes your symptoms to flare or discomfort in your pelvis, there are some exercises you might be better off avoiding altogether. These include:
Crunches or Sit Ups
These traditional ad movements can put pressure on your stomach and pelvis, which some women may find too painful.
HIIT Workouts
High Intensity Interval Training has been popularised due to it’s great ability to burn body fat in a short amount of time. The downside is it can be incredibly intense, and if you are low on energy due to anemia, a HIIT workout might be too much.
