Doctors told Nina the only way to treat her debilitating fibroids was radical surgery. Today the growths have all but disappeared due to simple diet changes… and experts say nearly every patient can do the same

Since beginning her period in her early teens, Nina Lemtir dreaded the debilitating pain it brought each month.

At school, she would sometimes bleed so heavily that her clothes – and even the chair she was sitting on – would be left soaked.

But GPs, for years, told her it was normal – and she believed them.

It wasn‘t until Nina suffered two miscarriages in her early 30s that doctors discovered the cause of her pain and infertility: non-cancerous growths in the walls of her uterus – one, the size of a football.

Called fibroids, these growths will affect as many as eight in 10 women in their lifetime, though few will become as severe – and large – as Nina‘s.

In fact, most women will have fibroids without even realising – and suffer no symptoms at all.

But for others, they can grow to become debilitating – causing heavy bleeding, intense abdominal pain and fertility problems.

For decades, the only treatment for fibroids was surgery.

Smaller growths can usually be removed by a procedure called a myomectomy, where the fibroids are cut from the uterine wall and removed through a small incision made in the abdomen.

But for many women, growths are so big by the time they are discovered that a hysterectomy – the surgical removal of the entire womb – is the only option.

Likewise, for more than half of all patients who undergo a myomectomy, fibroids will regrow or increase in size, requiring further treatment or surgery.

Today, more than 30,000 hysterectomies are carried out due to fibroids in the UK each year.

Coventry-based lifestyle strategist Nina, who had always wanted to be a mother, was desperate not to have to undergo a hysterectomy.

‘I was told to be prepared for my womb to be removed, if the damage was too severe,‘ she said.

‘I had never even heard of fibroids before my diagnosis. But I knew I wanted children, so I begged them only to remove the largest two, which were roughly the size of a football and a grapefruit. I told the doctors that I could figure out the rest.‘

Nina‘s surgeons were able to remove the largest fibroids without having to take out her womb. But she was still left with around six apple and orange-sized growths in her uterus.

Yet she kept to her word. Today, Nina, now 41, hasn‘t just prevented her fibroids from growing further – she‘s actually shrunk them to pea-sized growths, with some disappearing altogether.

She‘s also a mum of three, having conceived and given birth naturally and without complications.

And it‘s not due to any miraculous new medication.

Simply by changing her diet and lifestyle, cutting out alcohol and processed foods, and eating more oily fish and vegetables, Nina has ridded herself of her once debilitating fibroid symptoms.

And experts say Nina is not an anomaly. ‘Lifestyle changes were overlooked for a long time – but now we have evidence that they can make a big difference,‘ says Mr Pandelis Athanasias, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at London Women‘s Centre.

‘Nutrition won‘t be as effective as removing a fibroid surgically, but it can slow down their growth and help with symptoms.

‘And there‘s some evidence now that lifestyle changes and supplements may even help reduce the size of fibroids. For women with small growths that will gradually get bigger, making these changes early could help them avoid having to have big operations in the future.‘

Made up of muscle and fibrous tissue, fibroids’ growth is driven by hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone.

They can vary massively in size – ranging from pea-sized to as large as a watermelon.

Some women will only have one discrete fibroid while others, like Nina, may have numerous growths.

And whilst experts don‘t know exactly why some women, and not others, will suffer such intense symptoms from fibroids, age, ethnicity and genetics are all believed to play a part.

Fibroids are most common between the early 20s and late 40s, when a woman’s body is producing the most oestrogen. During menopause, when oestrogen production slows, fibroid growth often tapers off, say experts.

Black women have the highest prevalence of fibroids and the earliest onset, with 60 per cent affected by age 35.

Weight also plays a role in fibroid growth. Being overweight or obese increases the likelihood of developing fibroids by more than 300 per cent because excess body fat – particularly around the abdomen – alters the body‘s hormonal balance, producing oestrogen, which fibroids feed off, and increasing inflammation.

Despite their prevalence, research into fibroids only really took off in the past few years, says Dr Christine Ekechi, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Imperial College Healthcare and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists spokesperson.

Historically, fibroids were understudied because they‘re non-cancerous and not typically fatal – leading to limited research funding and a reliance on hysterectomies as the main treatment, she explained.

But new medications, and a move away from radical surgery, have given fibroid patients more treatment options in the last decade or so.

Drugs like tranexamic acid and the combined hormonal contraceptive can be used to help reduce bleeding, while GnRH agonists – which work by suppressing the body‘s production of oestrogen – have been shown to help reduce the size of fibroids.

Yet while hugely beneficial for some, many of these medications can have an unwanted side-effect, says Mr Athanasias – infertility.

As a result, he says, some of the most exciting research on fibroid treatment emerging now concerns lifestyle and dietary changes.

‘We know that fibroid symptoms and growth is due to oestrogen stimulation and inflammation – and there’s increasing evidence that there are supplements women can take and dietary changes they can make to help address this,’ he said.

Research suggests a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of developing uterine fibroids, with studies consistently showing that women with uterine fibroids often have lower levels of the nutrient – found in many vegetables, as well as sunlight.

A 2021 clinical trial found that women taking vitamin D supplements could significantly reduce the volume of their uterine fibroid and prevent their growth.

And a randomised, double-blind study in 2022 found that a year of vitamin D supplementation reduced the chance of uterine fibroid regrowth by 50 per cent.

Omega-3 fatty acids – found in nuts, seeds and oily fish such as salmon and sardines – have also been shown to help manage fibroids by reducing inflammation, controlling hormones and alleviating symptoms, says Mr Athanasias.

Studies have found an association between a higher intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids – like those found in fish – and a lower risk of developing fibroids.

Finally, green tea extract – which can be taken in supplement form – has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the volume of fibroids by more than 30 per cent.

A daily supplement of vitamin D is available from Boots for just £0.02 a pill, while omega 3 capsules can be purchased for just £0.06 a capsule. 

Green tea extract can be found at health food shops like Holland & Barrett for around £0.11 a tablet, meanwhile. 

‘All of these supplements help in different ways, either with the metabolism of oestrogen, by reducing inflammation or by directly working against the fibroids,’ said Mr Athanasias.

‘But it’s also important for fibroid patients to try and avoid blood sugar spikes, which causes the body to produce the hormone insulin, directly affecting the body’s metabolism of oestrogen and feeding the growth of fibroids.’

To do this, he says, focus on eating carbohydrates that break down slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar rather than a sharp spike, such as leafy greens, fruits, beans and whole grains like oats, quinoa and barley.

‘Include greens – like spinach, kale, brussel sprouts or cabbage – in every meal, together with a protein [such as meat, fish or tofu] and carb, as well as plenty of berries which have anti-inflammatory properties,’ Mr Athanasias explained.

But there are also specific foods that fibroid patients should make sure to avoid, says Dr Ekechi.

‘Reducing intake of sugary foods like chocolate and sweets and refined carbohydrates like white bread and pasta is really important for fibroid patients,’ she said.

‘These will promote oestrogen spikes which could potentially cause an increase in fibroid growth.

‘There’s a lot of attention around red meat as there’s some suggestion that it can also impact oestrogen and increase the risk of fibroids. I often advise women to cut back on it, but not get rid of red meat from their diet completely.

‘Women with fibroids often have anemia – a lack of iron – and cutting out red meat can exacerbate this. Instead, it’s more about moderation.’

The same is largely true of alcohol, she says. Regular consumption of alcohol has been shown to increase stress hormones, which can worsen fibroid symptoms.

‘Reducing – not necessarily cutting it out – will help the overall wellbeing of women,’ she said.

It’s important to remember, however, that while these dietary changes can help women with fibroids – they likely won’t be the sole cure for all women, adds Dr Ekechi.

‘Dietary changes in and of themselves will not shrink fibroids from 10cm to 0cm, and they won’t stop a woman who is genetically predisposed to fibroids from getting them,’ she said.

‘The women who are mostly going to see a significant benefit will be women with very small fibroids to begin with, or who wants to prevent surgically removed fibroids from returning.’

For Nina, dietary changes were life-changing, however.

In fact, she now works as a nutritional coach for other women struggling with the same issues she did – helping them implement the dietary and lifestyle shifts that transformed her life.

‘I’m not super strict in my diet – just focused,’ she said. ‘I haven’t cut out red meat entirely, I just try and eat more plant-based and less animal protein, as well as more oily fish and generally more Mediterranean fresh foods.’

Nina never eats processed foods like ready meals or fast food – choosing instead to cook at home, and no longer drinks alcohol, also heavily reducing her intake of refined sugar.

‘It’s been 10 years since my diagnosis, and I now have no issues from the tiny fibroids that are still there – my life is so different from my 20s,’ she said.

Mr Athanasias is similarly optimistic.

‘I’m a surgeon – I operate,’ he said. ‘But surgery is an answer together with nutritional and lifestyle therapies.

’15 years ago, it was just surgery. But now, we need to take a more holistic approach. And from my patients, I can see that makes a big difference.’