DJ teaches listeners about fibroids

Posted at: 11/04/2009 8:17 AM | Updated at: 11/04/2009 8:34 AM
By: Catherina Garcia, NBC News

San Diego's "Geena the Latina" educates listeners

"Geena the Latina" is a morning radio star in San Diego, California known as the "Queen of Hollywood gossip".  Every day she dishes celebrity news to her listeners.  Recently the tables turned when some of the celebrity news included her. 

"I've always been open with our lives and that's just how it is", Geena said.

She learned the rock hard abs she thought she'd gotten by working out were really fibroid tumors.

"Fibroids are benign balls of muscle tumors that form within the uterus", explained Dr. Dana Huskey, Geena's Gynecologist.  "The uterus is actually made of muscle.  We don't know exactly why they form."

"I told her put it in layman's terms like what size are they", Geena said.  "She said they were two oranges and a grapefruit".

That's considered a substantial size for Fibroids.  "I also said they almost took up her uterus to the size that it was almost like she about five months pregnant", Dr. Huskey said.

When Geena shared her story on the radio the response from her listeners was overwhelming.

"Every phone line was filled up with girls who had stories", Geena said.   "Also I've gotten e-mails from women who didn't know what was wrong with them and heard me talking about it, so now they're going to their doctors.  They get checked out".

Dr. Husky commends Geena for being strong to talk openly about her Fibroid diagnosis. 

"It's really scary.  Women feel more comfortable in that they're not alone", Dr. Husky said.

Women usually seek treatment if they feel pressure or heaviness, have heavy bleeding or experience fertility issues.  Treatment can range from taking birth control pills to a hysterectomy in some older women.

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