Miracle pill that saved my womb

WHEN Rachel Richardson was 35, she was told there was little chance she would ever be able to have a child. The news was crushing as she and her husband Matt were desperate to become parents.

 

Uterine fibroids are benign lumps that develop in the womb

 

Rachel – now 39 – a vet from Stroud, Gloucestershire, had been diagnosed with several large uterine fibroids, which can cause heavy periods, anaemia and infertility.  

“When they discovered the fibroids there were a lot of them and the doctor said it was unlikely I’d be able to have children,” explains Rachel. 

“I was devastated as I had just met my partner and we had talked about having a family. The fibroids were so bad I thought I’d have to have a hysterectomy to take everything out as it was getting worse and worse.” 

I don’t see how I could have become pregnant without Esmya. It really was a miracle

Rachel Richardson

 

Uterine fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) lumps that develop in the womb. They are common, with around 40 in every 100 women developing them at some time in their life and most often occur in women aged between 30 and 50.  Many women are unaware they have fibroids because they have no symptoms. 

However, around one in every three may experience some, including heavy, long and painful periods, bleeding between periods, feeling ‘full’ in the lower part of the stomach, pain or discomfort during sex, problems getting pregnant and miscarriages. 

Although Rachel had been suffering from heavy periods, she presumed it was due to the contraceptive device, the coil. 

“I was also very anaemic and was getting quite ‘tubby’ even though I was doing a lot of exercise,” she explains. 

“I’m quite a fit person yet I was getting out of breath. At the time my sister had just had a baby and I was travelling to Winchester to visit her a couple of times a week so thought I was  probably run down.” 

 

Rachel says she was getting tubby despite doing lots of exercise

 

Rachel’s fibroids were eventually diagnosed after an ultrasound examination. 

“I had three very big ones and several smaller ones,” she says. Rachel opted to have a myomectomy operation to remove the three largest fibroids, although there were complications. 

“The doctors only knew I was anaemic on the morning of the operation and I ended up having 10 bags of blood. 

“I had the surgery in the morning and by 7pm that night I had to go back into surgery to stop the bleeding. I was expecting them to have to carry out a hysterectomy but fortunately they managed to stop the bleeding.” 

After the operation, Rachel and Matt began trying for a baby and after six months of no success, they underwent IVF. Although that was unsuccessful, Rachel did become pregnant naturally, only to lose the baby at 11 weeks, after which her fibroids began to cause further problems. 

Rachel says: “My mother-in-law had arranged for me and my husband to go on a spa weekend as a break from everything that had happened. I went to have my hair cut and when I looked down I was sitting in a pool of blood.

 

 “In the end they called an ambulance. I’d never had an experience like it – I had heavy periods but not like this.” 

When the condition began to have a serious impact on Rachel’s everyday life, she returned to her gynaecologist who recommended a new treatment called Esmya. The new once-daily tablet which has now been authorised by the European Commission (EC) can be prescribed to treat moderate-to–severe symptoms of uterine fibroids in women of reproductive age. 

Esmya (ulipristal acetate) controls uterine bleeding, reduces anaemia and shrinks the size of fibroids, potentially averting the need for surgery. 

The drug was given the go-ahead following two long-term clinical trials involving 132 and 451 patients respectively. 

“This is a significant advancement in the treatment of uterine fibroids, as many women will now be able to take Esmya to shrink their fibroids and reduce the bleeding, rather than having to undergo major surgery which can in some severe cases be life-threatening,” says consultant gynaecologist Martin Powell. 

“It is particularly significant for women who want children and therefore wish to avoid surgery that could damage their fertility or, in the case of a hysterectomy, prevent them being able to start a family.” 

 

Rachel's first cycle of IVF was unsuccessful

 

Rachel says: “Within days of taking Esmya, the bleeding stopped. I took it for three months and it was life-changing. There was no more flooding and I felt so much better. 

“I waited a few months after taking it and then had another cycle of IVF, which was successful. I don’t see how I could have become pregnant without Esmya. It really was a miracle.” 

Rachel, whose son Julian is now one year old, is urging other women who may be suffering from similar symptoms to seek help. 

“Don’t be fobbed off by doctors telling you it’s normal,” she says. 

“It was only because I persevered that I finally got the treatment that has helped me to have a family.” 

• For further information about fibroids, including the causes, symptoms and treatment options, visit fibroidsconnect.com, the British Fibroid Trust at britishfibroidtrust.org.uk, or NHS Choices at nhs.uk