Welcome to Holland

There are all sorts of mothers out there...

There are mothers who get conceive easily, manage the 9 months prior to the birth of their child with a textbook perfect pregnancy and deliver a normal, healthy, full term child.

There are mothers who struggle to conceive and may need to use costly methods such as IVF and some mothers, may never conceive.

There are mothers who deliver a baby too early and that baby clings to life in the hum of the NICU for days, weeks or even months.

There are mothers who deliver angel babies, a stillbirth early on, or late.

There are mothers who deliver that perfect baby, only to discover they came with a little extra chromosome, or perhaps missing one or any permutation of genetic anomalies.

There are mothers whose little ones have grown up into mothers themselves and the empty nest feels lonely and hard.

There is no perfect outcome...Life happens and it happens fast and often in unexpected ways.  Even what looks to be a physically perfect pregnancy, childbirth and growing child, emotional taxes still have to be made and none of us are exempt from living a life far different than what we expected. 

So, regardless of where you find yourself on the mother continuum, life is not always the way we wish it could be. While it's easy for our minds and hearts to search for the 'why' and even feel slighted or gypped, there is another way to look at the unexpected events that come to us all, as women. 

In case you need a little shift in perspective to the hard things you face, this is a wonderful essay on finding the beautiful parts to our difficult lives.

All About Fibroids

Unless fibroid growth is something you personally deal with, we rarely consider the problems they can cause a woman.

What are fibroids and what causes them?
They are the most common type of tumor found in women and roughly 99% of them are benign.  They are smooth, fibrous growths that are made of muscle or connective tissue and typically grow in the uterus.   Many fibroids are so small, they go undetected by healthcare providers.

Like many things in medicine, we know what we are dealing with but not always what the underlying cause is.  There are some theories out there that an increase in Estrogen or an Estrogen imbalance is the culprit for the growth of fibroid tumors.

Who is at risk for developing fibroids?

There are exceptions to every rule, but fibroid tumors are more common in women approaching menopause because they tend to deal with more estrogen dominance.  There is also an increased issue in women who are overweight or of African-American heritage.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of fibroids can vary because a lot depends on where the fibroid is located and how many you have.  In general terms, symptoms can range from excessive menstrual bleeding to an ache in your legs or back. Some women can feel pressure in their pelvis or even a fullness in the bladder that makes urinating difficult.  The bottom line is, when you experience symptoms that are out of the ordinary for you, it's time to visit us.

Fibroid tumors are one of those obscure things that happen to us.  We aren't exactly sure how to prevent them or predict a set of women most at risk.  The good news is, that they are typically more of a nuisance than anything and most women will get through their life, never being bothered by them.  At any rate, if you are one of the lucky ones with symptoms and problematic fibroids, the team at Madison Women's Clinic can help!