Uterine cancer was like the sword of Damocles hanging over my head after I was diagnosed with complex hyperplasia with atypia in 2005. My hyperplasia initially appeared as heavy vaginal bleeding outside of my regular menstrual periods. This is the worst type of endometrial hyperplasia.
Endometrial hyperplasia is a medical term for abnormal thickening or excessive cell growth in the inner glandular lining of the uterus called the endometrium. It can be caused by a hormone imbalance where there is a chronic lack of progesterone or overstimulation with estrogen. Endometrial hyperplasia itself is not cancerous, but there are times when it can worsen and become a precursor to endometrial or uterine cancer.
It should be understood that there are several varieties of endometrial hyperplasia and mine had the highest risk of progressing to cancer.
Simple hyperplasia is simply an increase in the thickness of the endometrium with an increased number of glands. It can be treated with progesterone supplementation and there is less than 1% chance of progression to cancer.
Complex hyperplasia without atypia is slightly thicker than simple hyperplasia and the glands crowd each other causing some changes in the normal structure of the uterus, but the internal composition of the cells is considered normal. Without treatment, 10% of patients will progress to endometrial cancer.
Complex hyperplasia with atypia is a variety with architectural abnormalities like complex hyperplasia without atypia, only the cells have strange appearances. Approximately 25-30% of patients in this category will progress to endometrial cancer.
Three OB/GYNs advised me to have a complete hysterectomy, the complete removal of my ovaries and uterus to eliminate the risk of uterine cancer. It was a case of complete hysterectomy or nothing. Although I no longer wanted children after giving birth to two girls, I feared the negative effects of early menopause on my health, family life, and marriage.
A friend encouraged me to try Ayurveda, which I did. I became a complete vegetarian, drank herbal concoctions, and practiced prayer exercises taught by my Indian Ayurveda doctor. Others thought I was a foolish risk taker, but my intuition prompted me to tap into my body’s natural healing power which paid off to a degree. The abnormal bleeding did not reoccur, which my doctors did not expect, but I still had menstrual periods that lasted 8-15 days, which was still a sign of hyperplasia.
My ultrasound revealed a benign mass in my uterus measuring 1.7 cm. X 1.7 cm. My obstetrician-gynecologist informed me that he was not yet free. He explained that uterine cancer is like a thief in the night; It can appear at any time, even in menopause. He insisted that he still give me a full hysterectomy after my futile attempt to let them do it any other way. Since I didn’t have the money to go through such an expensive surgery, I didn’t opt for surgery until ten years later.
In September 2010, after my ultrasound results revealed that my benign mass was enlarging and that I was having frequent and heavy periods, I finally had a complete hysterectomy.
The sword of Damocles is now gone and after a long time, I am now living a fear free life.
