Guys, I found a medication that relieved 75% of my symptoms from my uterine fibroids! It is called Norethindrone (generic version) or Aygestin. Aygestin is a synthetic progesterone hormone called Progestin used to help other hormones work properly. It is also used as a form of birth control.
Do you have fibroid symptoms?
Considering up to 80% of women will have uterine fibroids at some point in their lives, I think this is good information to pass along!
If you read my last post on my fibroids treatment dilemma, I was miserable. I discuss how my uterine fibroids have become unmanageable over the past few months. Getting proper treatment has been difficult and frustrating. And I found the internet does not have sufficient advice on real solutions.
How I found the medication
After finding a well-regarded surgeon to schedule my hysterectomy, I felt better about my decision to remove my uterus because it is the best option for me, considering how large my fibroids had become. The 10-12 fibroids grew so big, my uterus enlarged to the size of a football! I am exhausted from dealing with this issue for the past 3 years and ready to say goodbye to my uterus.
But when they called me 2 weeks ago to say my surgery wouldn’t be until the end of April, I was very upset about having to deal with the symptoms for another month. I called and pleaded my case that I need the surgery as soon as possible due to how uncomfortable I was. When the doctor called me back, he prescribed me this Aygestin medication to “manage my symptoms” until surgery. After trying so many things that hadn’t worked so far, I started the medication without much expectation.
Impact of Aygestin on my symptoms
Within 5 days, my symptoms started to improve. It’s been about 2 weeks since I started it, and I feel so much better. My 4-mth-pregnancy-looking stomach shrunk down too! I was confused why this medication was never brought up as an option from any of the doctors nor was it in any of my online research.
From a discussion with my friend’s husband who is an internal medicine doctor, he explained that it is not clear what the long term effects of this drug can have on our bodies. As a synthetic female hormone, we want to be careful as it is made from artificial chemicals. This gets way out of my league in expertise as I am not in the health care field! But what I’ve concluded with the basic information I gathered is that, while not a good long term solution to managing fibroids, for the short term, it is very effective.
Summary of the fibroid treatment methods I’ve taken over the past 3 years
- Laparoscopic vaginal myomectomy to remove fibroids in center of the uterus. (I was told they cause most of the bleeding symptoms- surgery was basically a DNC and eased my symptoms for only 1-2 months).
- 3 month-at-a-time birth control pills to control menstrual cycles – had the opposite effect and made me bleed for 3 months straight even after I switched back to my old birth control!
- Medications that stop heavy bleeding during the menstrual cycle – I took a 5-day course to stop the 3 month bleeding. It worked on the 6th day.
- Progest creme to apply on wrists (progesterone)- I didn’t see a difference in my symptoms after 3 weeks of using
- Vitamins -Fish Oil pills – did not help ease my symptoms
- Plant-based eating – past 2 weeks (I do feel like the diet made me feel better regarding energy and digestion but not sure about easing fibroid symptoms)
My fibroid solution – Surgery
A hysterectomy is performed in the following ways:
- Laparoscopic vaginally (no holes in the stomach)
- Laparoscopic through the stomach
- Robotically for either of above instead of laparoscopically (overkill for this procedure if you ask me, and more invasive)
I found that the types of surgeries the doctors are trained to do and practices most are what they recommend.
Of these options, vaginal laparoscopic is the least invasive with the easiest recovery. But with this option, they cannot leave the cervix intact. There is a debate about whether or not it is best to remove the cervix with the uterus in a hysterectomy. For women with a history of cancer, it is best to remove the cervix. Otherwise, it is based on personal preference.
Based on the info, I decided I would like the least number of body parts removed as possible! I am getting the lap hysterectomy taking out my uterus & fallopian tubes but leaving my ovaries and cervix intact.
As I said before, I am no doctor and this information is based on my research and personal experience. I believe there is inadequate information in the market to efficiently treat fibroids. Doctors in my experience, do not take a holistic approach to the best treatment options for this medical issue. They are overworked and fragmented, focusing on just their specialties.
If you have uterine fibroids with symptoms that are impacting the quality of your life, ask your doctor about this Norethindrone/Aygestin medication. Manage your symptoms early so your fibroids don’t grow as big as mine!
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How long did your stomach take to shrink after taking norethindrone
it only took a week.
I am so happy I came across your post! I was just prescribed this medication after multiple failed attempts (most recently IUD) with other solutions in the interim. I am now waiting on a consult for uterine fibroid embolization as I am trying to involve surgery since I’ve never been under anesthesia. I am wondering how long is too long to be on this medication.. did your dr happen to tell you that?
Hi Charlene, thanks so much for your comment. This medication is a synthetic hormone, doctors seem to be wary of long term use. It worked so great for me before surgery. Hope it does the same with you. Good luck w embolization!
BEWARE! You should not take Norethindrone for longer than 9 months!!! I wish I had known this before I suffered all the terrible side effects from long term use of this hormone. In the begging I thought it was wonderful just like you ladies. After using it to combat my symptoms for over a year, I have suffered significant hair thinning and loss (so much so I had to cut my hair), decrease interest in sex, weight gain (30lbs to be exact which is an entire pregnancy), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased blood sugar that classified me as pre-diabetic and ultimately all those increased risk factors led to a heart block in my LAD (the artery known as the widowmaker) and ultimately led to a heart attack. I am lucky to be alive!!! If you choose to use Norethindrone, make sure your Dr is monitoring your cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, weight gain, and EKG strips regularly! And DO NOT use this hormone long term! It is not safe! Don’t just take my advice. Research the hormone. All the warnings are there. I know I wish I had.
what dosage did you take?
I took the lowest dosage they prescribe but can’t remember the number.
There is not enough information out there regarding fibroids. Thanks for this informative article. I am currently on aygestin and it has relieved my symptoms. I am apprehensive about surgery and my doctor decided I try aygestin until I made up my mind. I have been taking it for several months and have just started to experience discomfort from my fibroids over that past 2 weeks. I guess I will have to make up my mind about surgery soon.