Uterine Fibroids

What is Uterine Fibroids?

Uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas or myomas, are noncancerous growths that arise from the smooth muscle of the uterus. They are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive tract, affecting 50% to 70% of women by menopause, and more than 80% of Black women.^[1] Many fibroids cause no symptoms and are found by chance on an exam or ultrasound.^[1]

Common symptoms

About 25% to 30% of women with fibroids have symptoms. The most common are heavy menstrual bleeding, abnormal bleeding between periods, pelvic pain and pressure, low back pain, anemia, and bladder or bowel problems.^[1]

Fibroids can distort the uterus and affect fertility. They are also linked to obstetric complications, including recurrent pregnancy loss and preterm labor.^[1]

Causes and risk factors

The exact cause is not fully understood. Fibroids grow from uterine muscle cells, and their growth is stimulated mainly by estrogen.^[1] That is why they usually stop growing or shrink after menopause.

Black race, family history, older reproductive age and higher body weight are associated with a greater risk.^[1] Low intake of fruit, vegetables and vitamin D has also been linked to fibroids in observational data, though more research is needed.^[2]

How it is diagnosed and treated conventionally

Fibroids are usually found on a pelvic exam and confirmed by ultrasound, with MRI used when more detail is needed.^{[1, 3]} Treatment depends on symptoms, fibroid size and location, and plans for pregnancy. No treatment is needed for fibroids that cause no problems.^[3]

Medicines for heavy bleeding include hormonal contraceptives, a hormonal intrauterine device, anti-inflammatory drugs, tranexamic acid, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agents.^[3] Procedures include uterine artery embolization, focused ultrasound and radiofrequency ablation. Surgery includes myomectomy and hysterectomy.^{[3, 4]} Fibroids remain the leading reason for hysterectomy.^[1]

Why Uterine Fibroids calls for a whole-person approach

Fibroids are driven by hormones, but how much they affect a woman depends on bleeding, iron levels, pain, stress and life plans such as pregnancy. Care that looks at these together, under the guidance of a gynecologist, is reasonable.

Our role is to support symptoms and general well-being. It is not to treat or shrink the fibroid itself.

Hormones

Estrogen is the main stimulus for fibroid growth, and treatments such as GnRH agents work by lowering hormone levels.^{[1, 3]} This is why changes in hormone levels are a common outcome in fibroid research.

Diet, weight and vitamin D

A review of diet and fibroids linked low intakes of fruit, vegetables and vitamin D with greater fibroid risk, but noted that more research is needed to know how diet affects growth.^[2] An evidence review for family physicians says that treating vitamin D deficiency may reduce fibroid size or halt progression.^[3]

Heavy bleeding and anemia

Heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the most common fibroid symptoms and can lead to anemia.^[1] Tracking your bleeding and having your blood count checked is a medical task that should stay with your physician.

Pain, pressure and quality of life

Pelvic pain and pressure, back pain and bladder symptoms can lower quality of life.^[1] These symptoms are the main target of complementary care.

Acupuncture for Uterine Fibroids

What the research shows

The evidence that acupuncture helps with fibroids is limited. A Cochrane review found no randomized, double-blind controlled trials that met its criteria, so it could not say whether acupuncture works for fibroids.^[5]

Since then, small studies from China have appeared. A 2024 meta-analysis of nine trials with 640 women found that acupuncture added to Chinese herbal medicine gave a higher clinical efficacy rate and smaller fibroids than herbs alone. The authors noted the limited number and quality of studies and asked for better research.^[6] A retrospective study of 102 women found larger improvements in fibroid volume, hormone levels and inflammatory markers when acupuncture was added to the drug mifepristone. Because it was retrospective, patients were not randomly assigned, and it cannot show that acupuncture caused the difference.^[7]

A 2025 review of the literature identified 24 acupuncture prescriptions used for fibroids and concluded that adequate clinical trials are lacking.^[8]

How acupuncture may work

We did not find research that establishes how acupuncture might affect fibroids. In the retrospective study, hormone levels and inflammatory markers changed more in the acupuncture group, but this does not show a mechanism.^[7] The most commonly selected points in the published prescriptions were on the lower abdomen and legs, including CV4, SP6 and CV3.^[8]

What treatment involves

Treatment uses fine, sterile, single-use needles, usually left in place for about 20 to 40 minutes, with a course of several visits and reassessment. Points are usually on the lower abdomen, lower back and legs.

In prospective studies, about 9 in 100 patients had a minor reaction such as soreness or bleeding at a needle site, and serious events occurred in about 1 in 10,000 patients.^[9] Tell the practitioner first if you have a bleeding disorder, take blood thinners, are or may be pregnant, or have a pacemaker (relevant to electroacupuncture). Acupuncture does not replace imaging follow-up of your fibroids.

Ayurvedic medicine for Uterine Fibroids

The Ayurvedic view

In Ayurveda, uterine fibroids are generally described as a type of Granthi (a knot-like growth) or Arbuda (a swelling), thought to result from imbalance of Kapha and disturbed tissue and channel function. These are traditional categories, not biomedical diagnoses.

Therapies that may be used

Traditional care is individualized and may include:

• Diet and routine suited to the person, such as regular meals and avoiding foods thought to aggravate Kapha
• Warm oil massage and heat to the lower abdomen
• Individually prescribed herbs, reviewed against your medicines and your plans for pregnancy
• Panchakarma procedures only where traditionally appropriate and medically sensible

Panchakarma is not appropriate in pregnancy, acute illness, frailty or during heavy bleeding. A herbal preparation applied to the skin (transdermal therapy) may also be considered, but we make no claim that it shrinks fibroids.

What the research shows

The research is very limited. A 2025 systematic review gathered 21 case studies of traditional systems including Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, homeopathy, yoga, cupping and acupuncture. It described promising outcomes in fibroid size and symptoms but stated that conclusive evidence is lacking.^[10]

A single case report described a woman with recurrent pregnancy loss and fibroids who conceived after Ayurvedic cleansing procedures and herbs. A single case cannot show that treatment worked.^[11] We did not find controlled trials of Ayurvedic treatment for fibroids.

Herbal medicine for Uterine Fibroids

Herbs and formulas that have been studied

Guizhi Fuling formula, a traditional Chinese formula, is the most studied herbal treatment for fibroids, often tested together with the drug mifepristone.^{[12, 13]} Other Chinese preparations, such as Tripterygium wilfordii extract and Huoxue Sanjie decoction, have also been tested.^[14]

What the research shows

The evidence is limited and mostly from lower-quality trials in China. A Cochrane review of 21 trials with 2,222 women found that most had unclear or high risk of bias. It concluded that current evidence does not support or refute herbal preparations for fibroids, and none of the trials reported fibroid symptoms as the main outcome.^[14]

A review of 38 trials with 3,816 participants found Guizhi Fuling formula plus mifepristone reduced fibroid volume more than mifepristone alone, but the trials were generally of poor quality.^[12] A 2023 meta-analysis of 28 trials rated evidence quality as very low to moderate.^[13]

One double-blind trial in Hong Kong gave 78 women a modified Guizhi Fuling formula at a low or conventional dose for 16 weeks. Both groups improved from baseline, with no difference between doses, and there was no placebo group.^[15]

Safety and herb-drug interactions

Herbs are active substances and can interact with medicines. Reported interactions include bleeding with blood thinners such as warfarin.^[16] Tell us about any hormonal treatment or other prescription medicine you take. This matters especially because many fibroid studies combine herbs with mifepristone, which is a prescription drug.

Herbal and dietary supplements can also injure the liver. Green tea extract was among the implicated products.^[17] About one fifth of Ayurvedic medicines bought online contained detectable lead, mercury or arsenic.^[18]

Herbs should be prescribed individually and come from tested sources. Tell us if you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, have liver or kidney disease, or have surgery planned.

Translating traditional medicine into modern biological language

This is interpretation, not equivalence. Chinese medicine often describes fibroids as blood stasis and phlegm accumulation (zhengjia), and Ayurveda describes Kapha-type growths. Modern research instead focuses on estrogen-driven growth of uterine muscle cells.^[1]

Studies of Chinese formulas and acupuncture often measure hormone levels and fibroid volume, which loosely parallels the traditional idea of dissolving a mass, but no study has shown that these concepts match a specific biological process.^{[7, 13]}

How this care fits with your medical care

Integrative care for fibroids is complementary. Keep your gynecologist, and keep any scheduled ultrasound or follow-up. Do not stop or change prescribed medicines, hormonal treatment or planned procedures without your prescriber. For a condition like this, we ask that you are under a physician's care for it and that your treating team knows you are receiving complementary care.

We do not diagnose fibroids or manage bleeding and anemia. Please bring your diagnosis, imaging reports, recent blood counts, a list of all medicines and supplements, and your plans for pregnancy.

When to seek urgent medical care

Some fibroid symptoms need prompt medical attention.^[1]

• Heavy bleeding that soaks through a pad or tampon every hour for two hours or more
• Bleeding with dizziness, fainting, a racing heart or shortness of breath, which can mean significant blood loss
• Sudden, severe pelvic or abdominal pain, especially with fever or vomiting
• Inability to urinate
• Any vaginal bleeding after menopause
• Rapid growth of the abdomen or unexplained weight loss

For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.