Cynthia Bailey Suffering From Uterine Fibroid Tumors: report

Last month, the blogosphere or the Twittersphere -- or someone, somewhere -- wondered out loud if Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey is pregnant after photos emerged of the 46-year-old former supermodel began looking, er, round in the tummy area. She issued a statement denying the pregnancy rumors. A source further added Cynthia had an "undisclosed medical condition." But leave it to the National Enquirer, like they're known to do, reached out to their sources to find out what exactly is ailing Cynthia. A family friend told the tabloid Cynthia is suffering from uterine fibroid tumors. The disease is reportedly is in its advanced stages, therefore must be removed as soon as possible. Her disease will be a major story line when season six of the popular reality show premieres this fall. Cameras will reportedly film her getting the diagnosis and -- more likely than not -- show her undergoing surgery to either remove the fibroids or the more serious surgery -- a hysterectomy, which completely removes the uterus. According to the source, "Cynthia agreed to share her health crisis on the show because she wants other women see what she goes through and be reminded that they need to get regular checkups. She didn't go to the doctor because she was working too much. But when her stomach started to grow, and she knew she wasn't pregnant, she went to the doctor in a panic, wondering if she had cancer." We wish her a speedy recovery.

source: National Enquirer, Aug. 5, 2013, print edition


Sidebar: According to WebMD, Uterine fibroids are lumps that grow on your uterus. You can have fibroids on the inside camera, on the outside camera, or in the wall camera of your uterus. Your doctor may call them fibroid tumors, leiomyomas, or myomas. But fibroids are not cancer. You do not need to do anything about them unless they are causing problems. Fibroids are very common in women in their 30s and 40s. But fibroids usually do not cause problems. Many women never even know they have them.mDoctors are not sure what causes fibroids. But the female hormones estrogen and progesterone seem to make them grow. Your body makes the highest levels of these hormones during the years when you have periods. Your body makes less of these hormones after you stop having periods (menopause). Fibroids usually shrink after menopause and stop causing symptoms. Often fibroids do not cause symptoms. Or the symptoms may be mild, like periods that are a little heavier than normal. If the fibroids bleed or press on your organs, the symptoms may make it hard for you to enjoy life. Fibroids make some women have: Long, gushing periods and cramping; Fullness or pressure in their belly; Low back pain; Pain during sex; and an urge to urinate often. Sometimes fibroids can make it harder to get pregnant. Or they may cause problems during pregnancy, such as going into early labor or losing the baby (miscarriage).... There are two main types of surgery for fibroids. Which is better for you depends on your age, how big your fibroids are, where they are, and whether you want to have children. (1) Surgery to take out the fibroids is called myomectomy. Your doctor may suggest it if you hope to get pregnant or just want to keep your uterus. It may improve your chances of having a baby. But it does not always work, and fibroids may grow back. (2) Surgery to take out your uterus is called hysterectomy. This is the most common surgery for fibroids. And it is the only way to make sure that fibroids will not come back. Your symptoms will go away, but you will not be able to get pregnant.