How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor | Fibroids, Treatment Options & Being Heard

What happens when you know something is wrong with your body — but you don’t feel heard by your doctor?

In this episode of Health Starts With Her, Dr. Tara Shirazian sits down with Jamie Hosman, Nurse Advocate at Hologic, and Holly Gorman, Nurse Practitioner at the Center for Fibroid Care at NYU Langone Health, for an important conversation about patient advocacy, fibroids, medical dismissal, and helping women understand their treatment options.

They discuss why heavy bleeding and other fibroid symptoms are so often normalized, how a lack of education can prevent women from receiving the care they need, and why treatment should never feel like a one-size-fits-all decision.

Together, they explore:
• Why women often normalize heavy bleeding and fibroid symptoms?
• What happens when patients feel dismissed or unheard?
• The importance of understanding all of your fibroid treatment options
• Medications and minimally invasive treatments for heavy bleeding and fibroids
• Why shared decision-making matters?
• How to prepare for a doctor’s appointment and ask better questions?
• When it may be time to seek a second opinion?
• What “watch and wait” really means for fibroids?
• How education, community, and access can empower women to take control of their health

The biggest takeaway: You know your body better than anyone else. Ask questions. Understand your options. And if you don’t feel heard, it’s okay to seek another opinion.

There is power in knowing you are not alone.

⸻

Special thank you to Hologic for supporting this episode of Health Starts With Her.

Connect with a Hologic Nurse Advocate - https://gynsurgicalsolutions.com/nurse-advocate/

⸻

Stay Connected:
Subscribe to our email newsletter so you never miss an episode:
https://healthstartswithher.com

Subscribe for more conversations on women’s health, including fertility, hormones, fibroids, PMOS, and reproductive health.

Follow us on Instagram:
@drshirazian
@healthstartswithher

⸻

Chapters:
00:00 Why Patient Advocacy Matters
01:30 Meet Jamie Hosman and Holly Gorman
03:51 The Most Common Fibroid Symptoms
05:00 Why Women Normalize Heavy Bleeding
06:30 When the Medical System Doesn’t Offer Enough Options
08:00 Why Women Aren’t Hearing About All Their Treatment Options
10:00 Doing Your Own Research and Asking Better Questions
11:00 How the Medical Community Can Improve Patient Access
13:00 Why the Emergency Room Is an Important Touchpoint
14:30 Understanding the Full Spectrum of Fibroid Treatment Options
15:30 Lifestyle, Diet and Vitamin D
16:30 Medications for Fibroid Symptoms and Heavy Bleeding
18:30 Tranexamic Acid (TXA) and Other Non-Surgical Options
20:00 RFA, Endometrial Ablation and Minimally Invasive Treatments
22:00 Trust, Surgery and Barriers to Care
23:30 “Why Didn’t My Doctor Tell Me About This?”
25:00 How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor
26:00 How to Prepare for a Medical Appointment
27:30 Why Women Feel Dismissed and Unheard
28:30 The Anger, Exhaustion and Despair Behind Medical Dismissal
29:30 How Education Can Give Patients Hope
31:15 What Does “Watch and Wait” Really Mean for Fibroids?
34:30 Other Ways to Advocate for Your Healthcare
35:30 How Telehealth Can Expand Access to Fibroid Care
37:00 What Every Woman Should Know About Advocating for Herself
38:00 When to Get a Second Opinion
38:30 The Power of Community and Knowing You’re Not Alone
40:00 Final Takeaway: Your Symptoms Matter