Your Uterus Will Thank You

When I see a fat woman, I want to grab her and shake her. Doesn’t she know that being fat puts her at risk not only for developing endometrial cancer but cancer of the breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, pancreas and thyroid? Fat kills.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 41 million women in this country are fat. While fat people know being overweight puts them at increased risk for developing coronary heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, no one tells them fat causes cancer. I didn’t know this.

Adults age 20 and older with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9 are overweight while those with a BMI of 30.0 and above are obese, according to guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health. To calculate your BMI, divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters) squared.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has a BMI calculator. When I plugged in my numbers, my BMI was 37.1, placing me squarely in the obese category. Do I like my number? No.

When I was diagnosed with complex hyperplasia without atypia, which is a precursor to endometrial cancer, I weighed 240 pounds. I didn’t consider myself fat. I was very active. I did triathlons. I worked out in the gym. I lifted weights. I ran stairs. I did not look like a 240 pound fat woman. I knew I was overweight and could lose a few pounds but I did not consider myself morbidly obese.

The first thing my gynecologist told me was lose 20 pounds. She was the first doctor who told me being fat put me at risk for endometrial cancer. When I interviewed women for a story on endometrial cancer, they told me that not one doctor had ever told them this. Why? Doctors do women a big disservice.

Endometrial cancer is preventable; yet it is becoming increasingly more prevalent because of rising obesity rates. Fifty thousand new cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year. 50,000. More than 8,000 will die from it. 8,000. Sobering numbers.

Women have a 2.5 to 3 percent risk of developing endometrial cancer. While endometrial cancer is commonly diagnosed in post-menopausal women over age 60, physicians are seeing it in more patients in their 20s and 30s. Twenty-five percent of endometrial cancers are diagnosed in pre-menopausal women, said one gynecologist I spoke to for the story.

Women need to wake up and realize fat is not where it’s at. Making lifestyle changes – changing your diet and exercising more – has a huge impact on your health. Researchers are finding lifestyle changes decreases a woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer. Lifestyle changes may even prevent endometrial cancer.

I am taking control. I am training for the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon in April and plan to do several short triathlons this year. I am back in the gym. I am doing this despite the fact that my knees are shot. I have torn meniscus in both and no cartilage in one. When I run, it feels like I’m running on ground glass. I am lifting weights again.

I got lazy this winter. The cold and snow made it difficult to get out. My knees swelled and ached. I have also discovered how good it feels to move. Movement is pleasure and brings its own rewards. I am working on it. My health is more important to me than grabbing one more cookie or scarfing down a bag of chips. I don’t want to die yet.

If I do anything else with these posts, I want to raise awareness about the link between obesity and endometrial cancer. Women need to know this. It’s your body. Your uterus will thank you for it.

Talk to me.