ATLANTA — LaToya Dwight is one of many women who have experienced uterine fibroids. These are noncancerous pelvic tumors that are very common in women. About eight out of every 10 women have them by age 50, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Dwight learned about her fibroids after a doctor’s visit to have her IUD replaced. She said that the same doctor that she had been seeing for over 12 years was almost robotic in her delivery of the news.
“She said, 'Based on the size of the fibroids, I think you should get a hysterectomy.' Literally...immediately. She never said they were noncancerous growths. She never said that there are several options,” Dwight said. “She didn't give me anything to go on. Quite frankly, what she said to me almost verbatim was. ‘Well, they’re like kudzu, you cut them out, they are going to grow back anyway. That’s why I recommend a hysterectomy.’ I’ve been going to this doctor for 12.5 years. At that very moment, I felt like a number. She never even knew who I was.”
There are several medicines and procedures to target or remove the fibroids. A hysterectomy is a permanent solution but also ends a woman’s ability to have children. It's a dramatic step for those still planning their lives.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, alternatives to a hysterectomy were underutilized for women with uterine fibroids. Dwight says she opted out of the procedure and searched for another path.
“I immediately started to do my own research. I spent four years going through different coaching programs. I went vegan, I went vegetarian, I did the whole eat for your blood type diet, Yoga, Qigong,” Dwight said. “I eventually decided to have a minimally invasive procedure called uterine fibroids embolization."
The procedure she chose, uterine fibroids embolization, blocks the blood supply to the fibroids, causing them to shrink. A pivotal moment came when she shared her story on social media.
“I looked in my DM’s and there were messages from men saying had I met you sooner, I probably would not be divorced. There are messages from women saying, had I read your story sooner, my 20-year-old daughter probably would not have had a hysterectomy," Dwight said. "I knew in that very moment where I was standing that this was bigger than me."
Dwight's outreach continued to grow, leading her to launch The Fibroid Pandemic, an organization focused on spreading awareness about uterine fibroids and helping women on their journeys. Dwight also launched the Run F.A.R., fibroid awareness and resources, 5K to support awareness outreach and fibroid resources for women and their families.
Through her own wellness journey, Dwight has helped several women in their fibroids' journeys, including Jennifer Spears. Spears said she found out about her fibroids shortly after she got married.
“When I met LaToya, it was at the stage where it was really bad. I had to wear Depends when it was that time of the month, extra layers of clothing, and then sometimes you would still have an accident,” Spears said. “My period would be two weeks, sometimes it might be a month.”
Spears went to LaToya seeking guidance and support to help her through her journey, now she is also helping other women with their journeys.
“It gives voice to your pain, but it also motivates you to know that there are other women out there who need to hear your story,” Spears said.
It’s a sense of community, comfort and care these women say have helped them survive what was once a very painful time in their lives. They are no longer willing to suffer in silence.
“We talk about suffering in silence all the time. We talk to our families about it, our husbands our friends, but unless you’ve actually gone through it, you don’t understand,” Dwight said.