Latest news with #SELF
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
6 Common Nutrition Habits Sports Dietitians Think Are Wrecking Your Workouts
epicurean/Getty Images You slip on the fastest sneaks, consistently drag your butt to 6:00 a.m. spin class, and never skip post-exercise stretching. But if your eating habits aren't on point? Then sorry, but you're leaving fitness results on the table. Alex Larson, LD, RDN, a Minnesota-based registered dietitian nutritionist, works exclusively with endurance athletes, and nearly everyone she's coached—from beginners to expert-level competitors—'has had gaps in their nutrition that affected performance, energy, or recovery,' she tells SELF. Even more concerning, certain fueling mishaps can increase your chances of injury and even harm your overall health. These mistakes aren't always glaring. Sometimes they're small, innocuous-seeming habits you may not even be aware of. Other times, they're actions you intentionally take because someone—maybe your workout buddy, fave spin instructor, or a GymTok influencer—erroneously extolled their virtues. In either case, take heart: These missteps completely fixable! In fact, making a few small tweaks to your fueling habits 'can make a big difference,' Larson says. Read on for some of the most common nutrition mistakes sports dietitians see that wreak havoc on people's workouts—plus what to do instead. Read on for all the intel you need to level up your exercise routine. There are plenty of reasons why people roll out of bed and work out on an empty stomach, including feeling strapped for time, being worried about GI discomfort, or (falsely) believing it'll improve their performance. And while fasted exercise may be okay for short or low intensity morning workouts—think: light 20-30 minute resistance work, yoga, or walks—if you're doing heavy lifting sessions and endurance exercise lasting 45 minutes or more, you really should prioritize fueling first, Kelly Jones, MS, RD, CSSD, a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and owner of Student Athlete Nutrition, tells SELF. Unfortunately, a lot of people have missed this memo. In fact, jumping into a workout on empty is the most popular—and problematic—fueling mistake that Colorado-based sports dietitian Alyssa Lieb, MS, RD, sees people make. So why's it so bad? For one, when you exercise, your muscles need fuel to perform their best, and carbs are the best source of that fuel. The thing is, your body can only store a certain amount before you need to replace them by eating more. And if you haven't eaten in many hours (you know, like…while you're sleeping), it doesn't take long to deplete that stash. When that happens, your brain recognizes that you're low on energy, and to conserve it, it reduces your ability for high intensity movements, Jones says. The result? You feel sluggish, fatigued, and your performance tanks, Larson explains. More concerning, though, is that fasted workouts are linked with an increased risk of bone injuries. One 2024 study, published in the European Journal of Sport Science, found that endurance athletes who currently practiced fasted training were 1.61 times as likely to have a bone injury than athletes who ate beforehand. What's more, if you don't fuel up before hitting the gym, you're missing out on an important window to get calories in. Research shows that people who do fasted workouts end up eating fewer calories over the course of the day. Taking in less cals than your body needs can increase the risk of issues like relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs, where your body doesn't have enough energy to function properly), Lieb says. In short, fasted workouts can not only sabotage today's gym sesh—they can also set you up for some more concerning longer-term health issues. What to do instead: This doesn't need to be complicated. In fact, having too elaborate of a meal beforehand can backfire by triggering GI issues. So keep things simple: If you're waking up and hitting the gym or the roads very soon after, eat some carbs with very little fiber and no protein five to 15 minutes before breaking a sweat, Jones says. Examples include dates, a spoonful of honey, or even juice or a sports drink, she says. Worried that it won't sit well with your stomach? 'Start small,' Lieb advises. 'Whatever you can get in is better than nothing.' If you have a little more time––think: 30 to 90 minutes before your workout—nibbling on a more substantial snack with a balance of different macros (not just carbs) is ideal, Jones says. This could look like a banana and peanut butter with half of a whole grain English muffin. Everyone is different in terms of what foods they can comfortably stomach and when, so it may take some trial-and-error experimentation to figure out what combo is ideal for you, Jones caveats. Colorectal cancer rates are rising, especially among younger people, and eating enough fiber is one of the best things we can do to reduce our risk, according to Lieb. 'Fiber definitely matters,' she says. But there's some nuance here: Eating too much of it before a workout—say, a big ol' salad before your afternoon spin class, or a large apple on your way to run club—can cause some not-so-pleasant GI issues. That's because even though fiber is a carb, it's a complex one and we don't fully digest it like we do other, simpler carbs. 'Our bodies can't process it, which is why it's so good for our gut, because it basically just helps keep things moving through our digestive system,' Lieb explains. But that also means it hangs out in our system for a long time, which makes it more likely to get bounced around during exercise and cause problems like bloating, diarrhea, and gassiness. This is why eating fiber-filled snack or meal too close to a workout–for example, scarfing a heaping bowl of oatmeal topped with berries, nuts, and seeds shortly before you head out on a run—can seriously backfire. What to do instead: Load up on fiber after your workout, and stick to more easily digested carbs (say, white toast, graham crackers, or a banana) beforehand. Keep in mind the daily recommended amounts of fiber—25 grams for women and 38 grams for men—and strive to meet those benchmarks by prioritizing the nutrient during the meals and snacks that don't directly proceed your sweat sessions. A simple scroll of FitTok shows that protein is all the rage right now. And while overall daily intake of it truly is important, it's not something you want to hit heavy right before you break a sweat—especially if you're doing a cardio-centric workout, Lieb explains. One reason? Similar to fiber, protein takes a while to digest, so if you have a ton of it right before you get moving, you run the risk of GI unpleasantness. Another reason is that carbs are your muscles' preferred source of energy. That isn't to say your body can't power your movements using protein; it can, but the process isn't as quick or efficient, especially if you're doing high-intensity exercise, like sprinting or jumping, Lieb explains. So, if you overdo it on protein to the detriment of carb intake, you're basically shortchanging your performance. What to do instead: There's admittedly a lot of nuance here. Consuming some pre-workout protein, like a tablespoon or two of peanut butter, can be okay—especially if you're embarking on a longer session (think: a two-hour marathon training run) and eating carbs too, Lieb says. That's because it's a filling macronutrient that can prevent hunger pangs from striking mid-exercise. But if you're doing, say, a 45-minute gym workout, reaching for quick digesting carbs is going to be your better bet, Lieb says. Either way, make it a goal to load up on protein after you exercise, and also during times of the day that aren't directly before a workout. Processed foods (especially ultra processed foods, or UPFs, like packaged sweet and savory snacks, flavored yogurts, frozen meals, and energy drinks, just to name a few examples) have been vilified lately, as various research links a diet high in UPFs to a slew of negative health outcomes. But that's not the complete story, as SELF reported previously, and swearing off this entire food category isn't realistic or even recommended for most people. In fact, Lieb sees certain processed foods—like graham crackers, sports drinks, and fruit snacks, for example—as optimal sources of pre and mid-workout fuel. That's because they digest quickly, giving your muscles quick access to energy, and they often don't cause GI issues. Plus, they're really convenient, making them a feasible fueling option for people who may otherwise just not eat. What to do instead: To be clear, we're not advocating for a full-on, UPF-only diet. 'I talk with a lot of athletes about the difference between what you're eating around a workout and then what you're eating in your day to day life,' Lieb says. Just know that as long as you're meeting your overall nutritional needs—for example, you're gobbling enough fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and fiber in the rest of your day—'eating some candy to fuel your run is not only totally fine, but it's probably the optimal situation,' Lieb says. We've all been there: You finish that bootcamp workout at 5:00 p.m. but your dinner reservation until 7:30. You don't want to ruin your appetite, so you hold off on eating. No biggie, right? Turns out, this is a biggie…specifically, a big no-no. That's because waiting too long to eat after exercise can delay muscle repair, increase soreness, and leave you drained for your next session, Larson explains. What's more, the ideal post-workout snack includes a mix of carbs and protein, and if you skimp on carbs specifically, you can reduce your body's stores of muscle glycogen, the go-to fuel for exercise, which can shortchange your performance in your next workout. On the protein front, that macronutrient is important for muscle recovery, so 'having it available when muscles are the most stressed may be helpful,' Jones says. And the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends consuming protein every three to four hours to maximize muscle repair and growth, Jones points out. So if you take pre-exercise meal timing into consideration, waiting much more than two hours after your workout to eat protein likely means going more than four hours without this powerhouse nutrient, she explains. What to do instead: Aim to eat a snack that mixes carbs and protein—like chocolate milk, a smoothie, or a turkey sandwich—within 60 minutes of a workout, Larson suggests. Or, if you can have a full performance meal—which Jones defines as a starch, protein, veggies and/or fruit, as well as some healthy fats—within 60 to 90 minutes of a tough workout, you may not need that post exercise snack, she says. Meal examples include a marinated shrimp, rice and veggie bowl; peanut noodles with tofu and snap peas; or a veggie omelet with sourdough, she says. There's no debate that caffeine can level up your workout performance (tons of research backs this up), which is why Jones is a fan of sipping coffee pre-exercise or leaning on caffeinated gels during endurance training and racing. But constantly reaching for specific energy drinks and pre-workout bevs can cause you to take in large amounts of other stimulants, like glucuronolactone, taurine and guarana, that aren't well studied. This means we don't know what dosing of these stimulants is safe. Plus, keep in mind supplements are poorly regulated in the US, so it's hard to know what substances (and how much of them) are actually in pre-workout and energy drinks, unless they are third-party tested, Jones explains. To boot, if you're hyper-focused on caffeine and pre-workout drinks, you may neglect adequate fluids, carbs, and electrolytes for energy and hydration, Jones points out. And, if you take in too much caffeine—think: over 6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight a day, which, for a 150-pound person, equates to about 400 milligrams, the equivalent of about four cups of brewed coffee—it can trigger the excessive loss of fluids and some minerals, including electrolytes. That can be a problem, since just a 2% fluid loss can result in decreased physical and cognitive performance, according to Jones. What to do instead: Rather than reaching for pre-workout, Jones encourages highly active folks to choose coffee or beverages such as Yerba mate over energy drinks, and also add electrolytes to water. With coffee and Yerba mate, 'you can be more confident knowing you are getting caffeine as your stimulant, with estimates of quantity known depending on your brewing style,' she explains. Some of her go-to electrolyte products include NOW effer-hydrate tabs, Skratch daily hydration, and Designs for Sport hydration. Related: 5 Foods You Really Want to Avoid Before Working Out 7 Best Whey Protein Powders for Truly Tasty Shakes 9 Common Snacking Mistakes You're Probably Making—and What to Do Instead Get more of SELF's great service journalism delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
Hindustan Times
07-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Venus Williams shares her 30-year struggle with fibroids, says she once ‘hugged the toilet bowl' in pain
Tennis legend Venus Williams has revealed for the first time that she had a long-standing and painful struggle with uterine fibroids, before she underwent surgical intervention for relief. One of the most celebrated athletes globally, Venus Williams has made Fibroid Awareness Month 2025 truly matter by sharing her story in the hope that more women realise they don't have to live with fibroid pain. Venus Williams raises fibroid awareness by sharing her own experience with the condition.(Instagram/Venus Williams) The 45-year-old says she first experienced debilitating period pain when she was all of 16 years old. 'I remember playing my first French open... Before the second round, I was waiting for my match and I was just hugging the toilet bowl. I was losing my lunch over period pains. Those are the things behind the scenes you don't see," she told SELF in an interview. Painful periods are one of the most common symptoms of uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths in or on the uterus and may lead to heavy menstruation and discomfort. Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive system, occurring in 20–30 percent of females, most often in women aged 30–50, according to the Archives of Medical Science Journal. Venus Williams, a seven-time tennis Grand Slam champion, did not get a proper diagnosis for her condition, which continued to impact her energy levels on and off the court. In a TODAY interview, Williams has shared about experiencing heavy bleeding during her periods. 'As bad as things were for me, crazy amounts of bleeding like you couldn't imagine... my doctors told me it was normal. I never realized (anything) was wrong." When she went for anti-doping tests for her sports career, Williams was found to be anemic. She initially thought it was due to Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune condition, but it was actually the excessive blood loss during periods - due to uterine fibroids - that caused the weakness. Her excess bleeding required her to wear layers to avoid staining, and her cramps even made her throw up on many occasions. She recounts one particular training at Wimbledon in 2016 when her unbearable pain made it tough to eat. 'We had a doubles final to play next, and I was just lying on the floor in the locker room, like, 'It's gonna pass. It's gonna pass'. Thank God Serena got the doctor ... and I was able to get up and eat and start playing,' she said. It became a monthly pattern. Venus Williams says she was 37 when her doctor told her that her symptoms were 'part of aging', and not the fact that her fibroids were big and growing. 'I didn't know that they were really big. I didn't know that they were growing and growing and growing," she says, recounting one time when a doctor joked that her symptoms were 'natural birth control". 'I had no idea what that meant. No one explained it to me. Looking back, that's not funny at all to take away someone's opportunity to have a child or create a family if they want to. It's not a joke.' While doctors suggested a hysterectomy - a uterus removal - Williams was not prepared to take that drastic step. It affected her career. 'I never had enough energy most times to play a real match the way I wanted to, and, of course, it affected my results,' she acknowledges. It was during a casual scrolling through social media in 2024 when she stumbled across a post about fibroids that said 'you don't have to live like this". She also came across a center that treated fibroids. She wanted to know more, and ended up meeting Dr Taraneh Shirazian from NYU Langone Health Center for Fibroid Care. Venus Williams was recommended a myomectomy, a procedure that removes the fibroids from the uterus. Williams went for it with apprehension, but feels her quality of life has improved. On supporting the cause of fibroid awareness, she says: 'I'm very passionate about this at this point in time because I know that other people can live better than what I lived.' What are fibroids? Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. They are extremely common among women of reproductive age, yet often go undiagnosed because many women assume their symptoms are simply part of a 'normal period", Dr Richa Gangwar, Senior consultant and Director obstetrics and gynecology at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Lucknow, tells Health Shots. Fibroids can vary in size, and may be single or multiple. Some women may have fibroids and never know, while others may experience a wide range of symptoms that affect their daily lives. Fibroid symptoms you shouldn't ignore If you find yourself experiencing any of the following symptoms on a regular basis, it's important not to dismiss them, says Dr Gangwar. Heavy or prolonged periods Severe menstrual cramps Pelvic pain or pressure Frequent urination or urgency Pain during intercourse Lower back pain A bloated or swollen abdomen Fatigue from anemia due to blood loss These symptoms may indicate the presence of fibroids, especially if they are persistent or worsening over time. When to seek help Many women normalize pain during their menstrual cycle, assuming it's just part of being a woman. However, as Dr Gangwar shares, 'Pain that interferes with your ability to work, sleep, or enjoy life is not normal. If you're relying on regular doses of painkillers, using more than one sanitary product at a time, or feeling physically drained during your cycle, these are red flags that need medical attention. Fibroids can also affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes. In some cases, they can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, or complications during labor. Therefore, women trying to conceive should be especially proactive in investigating symptoms that could be related to fibroids.' Importance of diagnosis Early detection of fibroids allows for more treatment options and better outcomes. Diagnosis is typically made through pelvic examination, ultrasound, or MRI. Once identified, your doctor can determine the best course of action depending on the size, number, and location of the fibroids, as well as your age, symptoms, and reproductive goals. In some cases, fibroids may only require monitoring. In others, treatment may involve medication to manage symptoms or surgical options such as myomectomy (removal of fibroids) or hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), depending on severity. Ignoring fibroid symptoms can lead to complications such as anemia, chronic fatigue, urinary problems, or constant discomfort. The longer fibroids go untreated, the more they can grow and affect surrounding organs.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Venus Williams reveals she dealt with painful fibroids for decades: ‘I never had enough energy'
Venus Williams reveals she dealt with painful fibroids for decades: 'I never had enough energy' Venus Williams, one of the most successful tennis stars and decorated athletes in history, has revealed that she has dealt with a painful medical condition most of her life. Williams, who has four Olympic gold medals and seven Grand Slam titles, opened up about her painful struggle with uterine fibroids, noncancerous growths on the uterus that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and discomfort. Advertisement 'I remember playing my first French Open, at the time I was 16,' Williams told SELF. 'Before the second round, I was waiting for my match and I was just hugging the toilet bowl. I was losing my lunch over period pains.' Fibroids affect 40 percent to 80 percent of people with a uterus, and Black women are two to three times more likely to get them. Williams revealed to NBC's Zinhle Essamuah that before winning her sixth doubles match with sister Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2016, she was 'just laying on the floor in the locker room. Like, it's gonna pass, it's gonna pass. And thank God Serena got the doctor, and I was able to get up and eat and start playing.' Williams would also constantly have to pack extra pads, tampons, underwear and clothes due to her heavy periods. Advertisement 'I never had enough energy, most times, to play a real match the way I wanted to,' Williams told Essamuah. Williams says she went undiagnosed for years until a gynaecologist confirmed she had fibroids in 2016, and that the only treatment option recommended to her was a hysterectomy, which she turned down. She took prescription painkillers to manage the pain. 'I had those pills with me everywhere,' Williams said. 'I could never be caught anywhere without my pain pills. Getting caught in that kind of pain is a disaster.' While doing her own research, Williams eventually met Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, who last year performed a myomectomy, a surgical procedure that removes the fibroids while preserving the uterus. The surgery was successful, and Williams said her quality of life has improved. Advertisement 'As a patient, you have to be your own advocate,' she told SELF. 'If you don't know what's wrong with you in the first place, you never even know to bring it up.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Culture, Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Does Freezing Meat ‘Reset' the Expiration Date?
photosiber/Adobe Stock For all the information stuffed into product packaging and nutrition labels, it can be surprisingly hard to know how to navigate basic food safety issues that arise in the kitchen. Like: Does freezing meat and poultry 'reset' the expiration date (a.k.a. the use-by date)? Say, if you buy raw chicken breast that has a use-by date within five days and then freeze it on the fifth, do you have another five days to use it after it thaws—or has the clock already run out? Theoretical as this question might seem, the stakes could be high. If you wait too long after thawing to finish off the meat or poultry, for example, the quality could deteriorate significantly. That's because spoilage bacteria like Pseudomonads, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus—which love the cool fridge temps—start to grow. Spoilage bacteria generally don't make you sick, but they will probably yuck up your meat, leading to an 'off' smell and taste. Some types of pathogenic, or disease-causing, bacteria, like Listeria, can fare well in the fridge, too, so it's possible that meat left too long could harbor health risks. That said, the primary concern in this situation isn't foodborne illness, provided the stuff is properly cooked once thawed—rather, it's more of a 'food spoilage issue,' Martin Bucknavage, MS, a senior food safety extension associate at Pennsylvania State University, tells SELF. Not only is spoiled meat and poultry nasty (you don't want a decaying cutlet stinking up your fridge, much less percolating in your GI tract), it also amounts to a waste of money and food, so it's definitely an outcome you want to avoid. Thankfully, with the right knowledge on freezing best practices, you can do just that. First, a quick refresher on freezing: The super-cold temp—freezers should be set to zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower—stalls the growth of bacteria and other organisms. Importantly, it doesn't kill these bugs. Rather, it prevents them from multiplying (and further hurting the quality or safety of the item). Depending on kind and cut, frozen meat and poultry is best if used within 3 to 12 months, but it'll stay safe pretty much indefinitely. With freezing on the table, you no longer have to chuck a, well, package of chuck if your dinner plans change and you don't have time to cook it before its expiration date. It's 'just a great way to save that [item] so you don't have to throw it away,' Bucknavage says. Helpful as it may be, though, freezing is not a miracle worker: Sorry, but it 'doesn't restart the clock' on your products' expiration dates, Darin Detwiler, PhD, a food safety expert and associate teaching professor at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies, tells SELF. Yes, freezing will halt the progression of bacterial growth in meat and poultry, but once they thaw, that growth will resume. For an item that's frozen just as it's about to expire, that growth is in all likelihood already pretty far advanced (basically, it's 'already on the way to becoming spoiled,' Bucknavage says), so the countdown is well underway—and the item won't last much longer. So that chicken breast we mentioned earlier? If you buy it five days before the use-by date and freeze it on the day it expires, you don't then have another five days to use it after it thaws, because the resumed bacterial growth will take it past the point of no return within that time frame. Once full-blown spoilage sets in, you'll likely notice changes to smell, appearance, and texture. 'It may be grayish and feel slightly slimy to the touch,' Bucknavage says. 'There might be a slight to significant odor.' These signs should signal that the item is no longer fit to eat, but if you somehow miss the signs and chow down anyway, you'd probably note a slightly sour to flat-out rancid taste (gross!). Overall? 'It is not going to be good,' Bucknavage says. Unless your product is already contaminated with Listeria (and you don't cook it well), you probably won't develop an infection or anything like that. But the spoilage bacteria can produce byproducts 'that can upset your stomach,' he explains. For example, Pseudomonads and Lactobacillus yield undesirable chemicals like lactic acid and hydrogen sulfide when allowed to flourish unchecked. So to prevent your thawed meat and poultry from spoiling if you froze them on or around the expiration date, the smartest move is to use such items ASAP. Basically, 'you really want to cook it as soon as you thaw it out,' Bucknavage says—generally, within the day. If you want to be extra careful, shoot for within two hours, as Dr. Detwiler recommends. That said, 'using' doesn't necessarily have to mean eating. If you don't feel like digging in that same day, you can just cook and then refrigerate (or freeze!) the meal so you can enjoy it at a more convenient time. Much like freezing itself, cooking is another ingenious workaround that can help you extend the lifespan of your meat and poultry, since the strong heat kills off lurking bacteria. Just make sure that the internal temp reaches the minimum needed to kill pathogens—140 degrees Fahrenheit for red meat, 160 degrees for ground meat, and 165 degrees for poultry. You can use a food thermometer to check. 'Having a good, accurate thermometer is very important,' since 'you cannot tell the right temperature by look or feel or smell,' Dr. Detwiler says. Make sure to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking. And if you're not able to finish them off within three to four days, you can even pop them in the freezer to buy yourself some extra time! That way, all you'd have to do is thaw, heat, and enjoy—on your own clock. Related: How to 'Fridgescape' to Keep Your Food Safe, Save Money, and Actually Get Organized 8 Things Food Safety Experts Would Never Do in Their Own Kitchens Is It Safe to Put Piping-Hot Food in the Fridge, or Should I Let It Cool Down a Bit First? Get more of SELF's great service journalism delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Venus Williams Opens Up About Her 30-Year Fibroids Journey
Collage: Self; Source images: Venus Williams, Paper Whistle, anlomaja With four Olympic gold medals, seven Grand Slam titles, and over $42 million in prize money under her belt, Venus Williams is one of the most successful athletes in history. But behind closed doors, she has been fighting a painful battle for decades that far too many Black women know well: uterine fibroids. 'I remember playing my first French open, at the time I was 16,' Williams shares with SELF over Zoom from her home in Florida. 'Before the second round, I was waiting for my match and I was just hugging the toilet bowl. I was losing my lunch over period pains.' But who would have guessed? Just moments prior—adorned in an iconic silver getup, her braids covered in white beads—Williams was on her A-game, defeating Japan's Naoko Sawamatsu in the first round of the 1997 tournament. 'Those are the things behind the scenes you don't see,' she says. For as long as she can remember, the now 45-year-old tennis star has had painful periods—one of the most common symptoms among women who suffer from fibroids, or noncancerous growths in or on the uterus that can cause heavy menstruation and intense discomfort. Yet Williams can't even recall getting a formal diagnosis. 'I think I just kind of diagnosed myself,' she shares. While her gynecologist eventually confirmed that she did, indeed, have fibroids in 2016, her pain was treated as a routine side effect of the condition. 'They would tell me we'll just watch it,' she shares. The only treatment option made available to her was a hysterectomy, and Williams held off. Williams was never offered any other clear pathway to finding relief—even as the agony from her fibroids was getting worse. By her mid-30s, she says, she was taking prescription pain killers to find some sort of ease. 'I had those pills with me everywhere,' Williams says. 'I could never be caught anywhere without my pain pills. Getting caught in that kind of pain is a disaster.' Beyond the physical pain from her fibroids, the mental anguish took a toll as well. Williams's periods became so heavy that anywhere she went, she would have to pack extra pads, tampons, fresh underwear, and a change of clothes. 'It was always an 'accident run' to the bathroom,' she remembers. 'At times you're like, Oh my God, I have to clean my pants. You have to take them off at a restaurant, wash them out—crazy stuff. That's not normal.' By 2024, Williams knew it was time to advocate for herself—something her previous doctor never seemed to do, although she shares she has no interest in placing blame anywhere. The women's health space was revolutionizing: New models were popping up that made care more accessible and inviting. (Think easy-to-navigate millennial-friendly women's medical startups like Tia and Midi.) One day while scrolling Instagram, Williams saw an ad for a fibroid clinic that detailed promising treatment options for women just like her, which made her realize that she had options. The times were changing. Eventually Williams found Taraneh Shirazian, MD, a board-certified gynecologist and director of the Center for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone. 'It was amazing for me because I was able to talk to someone who felt confident that they could treat me,' Williams says. Unlike many medical professionals in the US, Dr. Shirazian takes a holistic, personalized approach to fibroid treatment, viewing it as a chronic ailment that needs continuous care rather than something to vaguely monitor—or, on the other hand, treat with a one-and-done surgery. As part of her model, Dr. Shirazian also looks at how the condition affects other aspects of a patient's life, like fertility and general discomfort. For Williams, this led to a more comprehensive diagnosis: The athlete learned that she also had an adenomyoma, which meant in addition to her fibroids, the lining of her uterus was growing into her uterine wall. 'I was the first person to ever tell her [of the condition],' Dr. Shirazian tells SELF. 'I could tell when I said it that she never heard about the adenomyoma before, and when you hear something for the first time, you need time to really understand it, think about it, and come to terms with what you want to do.' Williams shares that while it felt good to be informed, she left the office terrified. 'For the first time in my life ever, [I thought,] Why me? Why do I have to [go through] this?' There were a few courses of treatment Williams could take, according to Dr. Shirazian: Uterine-sparing surgery, which would remove the fibroids but leave the uterus in place, would be the best option, though radiofrequency treatments could also help shrink the fibroids and relieve some pain. Though trepidatious, Williams opted for the surgery. 'Surgery completely removes disease,' the gynecologist explains. '[Venus] had been suffering for all that time. Obviously we always need to be monitoring, but given her personal history, her symptoms, and again, just with that eye on what would be good for her specifically, we arrived at that conclusion.' 'I just remember I went into the [operating room] and I started to get a little afraid again,' Williams recalls. '[Dr. Shirazian] held my hand and I was out. I don't remember much after that, but I remember she held my hand, and that meant so much.' The surgery took place in July 2024. It was a success, and Williams had no complications. Within a day or two, she was up and moving around. By day 30 of her post-op recovery, she fully felt like herself again—just without the excessive bleeding and pain. At last, after decades of suffering, Williams felt relief—within just three months of meeting Dr. Shirazian. 'I went through a lot, and you would imagine that I would have access to the best health care—and I did. But I still didn't have the best health care [until I went to NYU],' Williams shares. With anywhere from 40% to 80% of people with a uterus being likely to develop fibroids by 50—with Black women three times more likely to get them, and get them at a younger age compared to white women—Williams's hope is that sharing her story will encourage others to seek the help they may not realize they need. 'As a patient, you have to be your own advocate,' she explains, noting the serious flaws in the US healthcare system. 'If you don't know what's wrong with you in the first place, you never even know to bring it up.' But being aware of what's happening with your body and having the ability to advocate for yourself, especially as a Black woman, is only half the battle. A 2022 Pew Research Center study found that 55% of Black Americans 'have had negative experiences with doctors.' A 2024 study found that 58% of Black women, in comparison to 44% of Black men, believe that the country's health care system was designed to hold them back. Of course, this is all happening in the context of our medical establishment's racist history: For many years, the US carried out nonconsensual medical experiments on African Americans, which may also lead to lingering distrust today. Dr. Shirazian hopes to remedy as much of this as she can through working with grassroots organizations in the Black community. The MD currently partners with The White Dress Project, a patient advocacy group that raises awareness about uterine fibroids through education and research. 'They share information on doctors and hospitals to go to who are giving good services and good care [throughout the country],' Dr. Shirazian says. By being one of the few MDs in the country taking a true holistic approach to fibroid treatment—from providing personalized care to bridging the knowledge gap by working with local organizations—Dr. Shirazian hopes that other medical facilities will follow her lead. 'Sometimes that's how you get bigger institutions to sort of take notice,' she shares. '[Our approach is] innovative and revolutionary, and whatever we can say that helps [other doctors] understand that these are priorities, that's my goal.' It's now been a year since Williams's surgery. She is happy and fully free from the pain that took over her life for nearly 30 years. But most of all, she wants to make sure this isn't any other woman's story. 'Make sure you have a doctor that believes in you and that you believe in [them], that's important,' she says. 'You don't have to settle at all.' Related: Jennie Garth on Having Hip Replacements at 48 and 52: 'I No Longer Want to Hide Things' Jamie-Lynn Sigler Was in Denial of Her MS for 15 Years: 'If I Didn't Talk About It, It Wasn't Real' What to Do If Your Doctor Isn't Taking Your Period Pain Seriously Get more of SELF's great service journalism delivered right to your inbox. Originally Appeared on Self
