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Uterine Lump While Preparing for Pregnancy, A Wise Choice for Becoming a Healthy Mother

Waiting for a beloved baby with fluttering excitement, hearing the sudden news that you have a 'uterine lump' can only cause your heart to sink. You cannot help but worry whether it might harm your future baby or make pregnancy itself difficult. Uterine fibroids are found in about 1 out of every 3 women of childbearing age, but to a woman preparing for pregnancy, they can feel more sensitive than any other disease. In particular, since they have no noticeable symptoms and are often discovered by chance during the pregnancy preparation process, it can be even more bewildering.

💡 [Key Answer] Top 3 most common causes of a 'uterine lump while preparing for pregnancy': ① Hormonal imbalance / ② Uterine blood circulation disorder (blood stasis) / ③ Chronic inflammation Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic helps you achieve a healthy pregnancy by fundamentally improving the uterine environment through constitutional improvement.

Uterine fibroids are benign tumors caused by abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle cells forming the uterus. They can cause various symptoms depending on size and location, and often have no symptoms. In particular, influenced by the female hormone estrogen, they can continue to grow until menopause, and are known to increase in size during pregnancy as well.

If you have uterine fibroids while preparing for pregnancy, the biggest concern is naturally the possibility of pregnancy. Uterine fibroids can cause infertility, increase the rate of miscarriage during pregnancy, or cause complications such as premature birth. In particular, submucosal fibroids located close to the endometrium where the fertilized egg must implant distort the uterine cavity, greatly lowering the success rate of implantation and becoming a main cause of increased miscarriage rates. Intramural fibroids occurring within the uterine muscle layer are also reported to hinder uterine blood flow, lower the pregnancy and implantation rates, and increase the miscarriage rate.

In Korean medicine, uterine fibroids are viewed from the perspective of 'blood stasis (Eohyeol)'. Blood stasis refers to a state where blood circulation stagnates, waste products accumulate, and the uterine environment becomes cold and damp. Such blood stasis causes uterine blood circulation disorder, promoting the occurrence and growth of uterine fibroids, and can hinder the successful implantation of a healthy fertilized egg and cause difficulties in maintaining pregnancy. Therefore, the Songdo uterine fibroid Korean medicine clinic focuses on treatment to improve the uterine environment and remove blood stasis.

When diagnosed with uterine fibroids, many people think of surgery first. However, not all uterine fibroids require surgery. Especially when planning pregnancy, hormone therapy or specific procedures may be restricted, and research results show that the recurrence rate is high even after fibroid removal surgery.

Therefore, the treatment direction must be carefully determined based on the size, location, presence of symptoms, and most importantly, whether pregnancy is planned. If pregnancy is desired, it is wise to prioritize conservative treatment that optimizes the uterine environment while preserving the uterus.

In Korean medicine, uterine fibroids are not viewed simply as a 'lump', but approached as a problem caused by an imbalance in systemic health including the uterus. Especially for uterine fibroid patients preparing for pregnancy, Korean medicine treatment focuses on improving the fundamental environment of the uterus to increase the success rate of pregnancy and help maintain a healthy pregnancy.

A 2014 clinical study on uterine and ovarian disease using ultrasound diagnosis published in the 'Journal of Korean Oriental Medical Ultrasound' reported that when Korean medicine treatment was applied to uterine fibroid patients, the improvement rate reached 94.29%. This study explained that Korean medicine treatment induces apoptosis of fibroid cells and inhibits cell proliferation, thereby blocking the progression of fibroids and ultimately improving implantation success rates and pregnancy rates.

In addition, a Japanese case series study in which 110 premenopausal women with uterine fibroids took an herbal prescription called 'Kuei-chih-fuling-wan' daily for at least 12 weeks showed that uterine fibroid size decreased in 62% of patients, and especially symptoms of menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea improved in about 95% of patients. The researchers analyzed that these results were thanks to the efficacy of herbal medicine in removing intra-uterine blood stasis and improving blood circulation. These data suggest that Korean medicine treatment for uterine fibroids goes beyond mere symptom alleviation and contributes to reducing the size of fibroids themselves and creating a uterine environment favorable for pregnancy.

Based on these data, the Songdo branch of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic aims to relieve 'blood stasis' and smooth the circulation of vital energy and blood in the uterus to inhibit the growth of uterine fibroids and alleviate symptoms. Furthermore, we focus on constitutional improvement treatment to create a healthy uterine environment so that fertilized eggs can implant well and grow stably.

At Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic, the difficulty of pregnancy caused by uterine fibroids is approached not simply as removing a lump, but as restoring the overall balance of our body. Pregnancy is a process where the energy of the whole body must be concentrated, and the uterus is at the center of it. The occurrence of a lump in the uterus can be a signal that there is a problem in the surrounding environment of the uterus, and furthermore, in the systemic balance.

The uterus in our body is like a field where seeds grow. Just as good seeds take root and grow healthily only when the soil of the field is healthy, pregnancy can occur well and be maintained stably only when the uterine environment is healthy. The constitutional improvement of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic is the process of making the soil of this 'uterine field' fertile. In other words, it is not temporarily suppressing symptoms, but creating a body where uterine fibroids do not occur again and fertility is self-activated. To this end, we focus on the following treatment principles:

• Removal of Uterine Blood Stasis and Circulation Improvement: Dissolving stagnant blood (blood stasis) and smoothing blood circulation around the uterus to inhibit the growth of uterine fibroids and induce size reduction.
• Warming of the Uterine Environment: Warming the uterus to create an environment optimized for implantation and resolving problems caused by coldness.
• Hormone Balance Regulation: Restoring disordered female hormone balance to improve the environment causing uterine fibroids and supporting stable ovulation and menstrual cycles.
• Enhancement of Systemic Immunity and Recovery: Restoring overall health deteriorated by stress and fatigue rather than just uterine issues, creating the best condition for pregnancy.

Such constitutional improvement treatment goes beyond simply treating uterine fibroids to enhance overall women's health and lay a solid foundation for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth. The Songdo branch of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic provides 1-on-1 customized treatment comprehensively considering each individual's constitution, state of uterine fibroids, and pregnancy plans.

You who are preparing for pregnancy, are you experiencing any of the following symptoms? If 3 or more apply, we recommend receiving accurate diagnosis and consultation with the medical staff of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic.

• □ My menstrual flow suddenly became heavier or my menstrual period became longer.
• □ My menstrual cramps became worse than before and I frequently look for painkillers.
• □ There are many clots in my menstrual blood.
• □ I feel stiffness or pressure in my pelvis or lower abdomen.
• □ I urinate frequently or have a feeling of incomplete emptying.
• □ I feel uncomfortable or have severe constipation during bowel movements.
• □ My lower abdomen and hands/feet are usually cold.
• □ I feel easily fatigued and lethargic without a special reason.
• □ The pregnancy preparation period is over 1 year but there is no news yet.

Criteria:

• If 1-2 apply: Uterine health management and regular checkups are needed.
• If 3-4 apply: It is time to consider Korean medical consultation and treatment with the possibility of uterine fibroids or related diseases in mind.
• If 5 or more apply: It may be a stage requiring active uterine environment improvement treatment. We recommend visiting a Songdo Korean medicine clinic to make professional diagnosis and customized treatment plans.

Q. Is pregnancy completely impossible if I have uterine fibroids? A. Having uterine fibroids does not mean pregnancy is impossible. The possibility of pregnancy can vary depending on the size and location of the fibroid, and individual uterine health status. Improving the uterine environment through Korean medicine treatment can increase the possibility of pregnancy.

Q. I have uterine fibroids, can I take herbal medicine? Won't the fibroids grow larger? A. Herbal medicine taken according to the accurate diagnosis and prescription of a Korean medicine doctor helps inhibit the growth of uterine fibroids and improve symptoms. Rather, medicines that clear blood stasis and assist uterine circulation can contribute to reducing fibroids.

Q. How long does it take until pregnancy after uterine fibroid treatment? A. The treatment period can vary depending on the state of the uterine fibroids, individual constitution, and treatment response. Generally, through 3 to 6 months of steady treatment, improvement of the uterine environment and changes in fibroids can be expected, and then it is recommended to discuss with medical staff and attempt pregnancy.

Q. I have menstrual cramps or menstrual irregularity along with uterine fibroids, can they be treated together? A. Yes, the uterine fibroid Korean medicine treatment at Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic aims to simultaneously improve various women's diseases caused by uterine fibroids, such as menstrual cramps, menstrual irregularity, and menorrhagia, as well as the fibroid issue itself. Through fundamental uterine environment improvement, overall women's health can be restored.

The news that a lump was found in the uterus while preparing for pregnancy can cause great worry. However, this is an important signal sent by the body, and if approached in the right direction, you can adequately prepare for a healthy pregnancy. Do not endure for a long time or worry alone. The Songdo branch of Songdo Infertility Korean Medicine Clinic, Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic will find the cause together and open the way for a healthy future.

Where life blooms. Herbal medicine is Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic. Check symptoms similar to yours first through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic website!

This article is health information organized together by Dalimchae medical staff based on questions actually received often in the consultation room. Medical Supervision | Women & Pregnancy Treatment Standard, Songdo Branch of Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic, Korean Medicine Doctor Oh Hyun-min (Uterine Fibroid Column)