Fibroid Awareness Events in Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA — July is Fibroid Awareness Month and one woman is taking her pain and turning it into a passion to help others.

LaToya Dwight, starring in The Fibroid Pandemic, knows all too well the struggle and pain of living with fibroids.

In a previous conversation with 11Alive, Dwight shared how she discovered she had fibroids on “divine orders” after going to get her Mirena IUD — a birth control method — replaced. She said her OB-GYN couldn’t find it, so he sent her for an ultrasound.

“The ultrasound technician was able to locate it and asked me, ‘How are your fibroids?’ And my response was, ‘What is that?’ I had no idea I had fibroids on my uterus.”

That’s when her journey with fibroids began. Since then, she has decided to help other women in their journey.

Fibroids are noncancerous tumors or growths that affect the majority of women at some point in their lives. According to the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health, factors such as age, family history, race, weight, hormones, high blood pressure, and your diet can all play a role in the development of fibroids.

Some symptoms include heavy and irregular vaginal bleeding, the urge to urinate more often, pain during intercourse, in the abdomen or lower back, and reproductive problems.

This weekend marks the third annual Run FAR 5K, which aims to raise awareness about the disease. On Saturday, July 20, runners will gather at Arabia Mountain in Stonecrest for a 5K, and what Dwight describes as a day of connection, community and care.

On Sunday, July 21, the organization will host the 3rd Annual Fibroid Awareness Brunch at Reign Corp. headquarters in McDonough. Dwight said the two days are focused on raising awareness about fibroids and building a community of support.

In a conversation with 11Alive titled “Let’s Talk Fibroids,” Dwight joined Dr. John Lipman, Founder and Medical Director of the Atlanta Fibroid Center and Dr. Madeline Sutton, Founder and CEO of OneBrain4Health to talk about his experience and treatment options for those suffering from fibroids.

You can watch the full conversation below.

Panelists said anyone who thinks they have fibroids should talk to their doctor.

“You should start by seeing your gynecologist, absolutely,” Sutton said. “You should start with a complete history and physical exam. During that history, it’s very important that you talk about your concerns about your quality of life.”

“If you’re bleeding so much that your clothes are soaking wet and it makes you uncomfortable going to different events, that’s one of the most common things people say,” Sutton gave as an example.

There are several options for treating fibroids, including medications, IUDs, and sometimes surgery. Another option, Lipman says, is uterine fibroid embolization.

“It’s a 30-minute, non-surgical outpatient procedure,” he said. “Patients come to our center and have a 30-minute procedure. We remove all the fibroids from the inside under X-ray control.”

He said that after the procedure, the symptoms began to disappear.

If you are experiencing symptoms and would like to learn more from our panelists, you can contact them using the contact information provided below.