Minnette Powell, 43, has been living with uterine fibroids for the more than two decades. She was diagnosed with the illness when she was pregnant with her first child.

But more alarming is the fact that the incidence of fibroids, once considered 'an older woman's disease', has risen among young women. Powell was only 18 when she was first affected.

Powell is caught in the web of statistics which the majority of Jamaican women fail to escape. Estimates indicate that seven in 10 women in Jamaica, currently or in the past, have been affected by fibroids, commonly called growths.

"I am in pain most times and I do go to the doctor on several occasions and get medication but that doesn't really help," Powell told The Gleaner.

"It is really painful when passing stool and I sometimes see blood on the tissue," she added.

Campaign launched

As the world observes Fibroid Awareness Day today, Caribbean Woman, an organisation that promotes awareness of women's issues, has launched an annual information campaign.

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumours of the uterus that arise from the muscle cells that form the walls of the womb. They can be as small as a pea or as large as a watermelon.

The fibroids, which are located in the lower portion of her uterus, put pressure on the rectum, which results in painful bowel movements.

Most fibroids do remain small and cause no trouble. Problems associated with fibroids usually arise between ages 30 and 50. However, younger Jamaican women are now being affected.

Black women who adopt a Western diet are twice as likely as Caucasian or Asian women to have fibroids.

Fibroids grow rapidly during pregnancy when hormonal levels are high and shrink after menopause when hormonal levels fall.

Only real cure

In an article published in The Gleaner last year, Dr Monique Rainford, consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist, said a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the uterus or womb) was the only real cure for fibroids. However, she noted that there were several other treatments available.

The choice of treatment, she said, would depend on the specific problem. Certain medications including those used for family planning can be helpful in treating the symptoms associated with fibroids. If medication is unsuccessful, surgery may be required.

A younger woman, she said, was more likely to get a myomectomy, in which only the fibroids are removed and the rest of the uterus is left in the body. A woman is able to have children after a myomectomy.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com