At a time when two in three women will develop at least one fibroid in their lives, one motivated speaker is making it her mission to empower women to improve their knowledge about the health issue
Multi-award-winning fibroid advocate and campaigner Dawn Heels took to the Everywoman Festival stage in Cardiff on 7 June to break down taboos surrounding fibroids.
Her session started with a summary of her experience living with fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb, but quickly transformed into a question-and-answer session, enabling festival attendees to get answers to all their burning questions.
“No question is a stupid question,” she said, encouraging the 50 or so audience members to speak up.
Her talk came at an important time, with Fibroid Awareness Month approaching in July and NHS Wales starting to bring about more women’s health research and resources as part of their new 10-year Women’s Health Plan. Though, for Heels, encouraging more people to talk about and recognise fibroids is a personal goal and completely unrelated to the politics of the moment.
My GP told me they’re normal, they’re common. Just deal with it with an ibuprofen and a hot water bottle!
She began advocating nearly a decade ago, in 2016, after receiving a fibroid diagnosis in her 30s. The mother of two lived with heavy, painful periods since the age of 14, but it wasn’t until she was 33 and struggling with pain in her left abdomen she realised she needed to seek medical advice. She went to several doctors to understand her pain and was eventually told she had fibroids.
“The doctor said, ‘Yes, you’ve got two fibroids. They’re four centimetres in size, but don’t worry. They’re normal. They’re common. You just deal with it with an ibuprofen and a hot water bottle,’” she said. “And because he was my doctor, I took that advice and off I went.”
Health concerns worsen
The pain Heels had persisted, and several years later, when she was 39, she needed an open myomectomy to remove 16 fibroids doctors had discovered. These fibroids had caused the pain in her abdomen to spread to her back and legs. It also made her belly protrude, and her body become infertile. Feeling disappointed with the care she received after her diagnosis, Heels turned to social media to advocate for better care and share her story. Her Instagram now boasts over 17,000 followers and contains free guides for those concerned about the condition.
Heels is also the founder of a social platform called The Guidance Suite, which aims to create “a safe and accessible space online and in-person.” On the platform’s Instagram page, readers can find information, advice, support and events. To mark Fibroid Awareness Month, the site has confirmed an event will take place on 19 July, with more details to follow.
It is unclear if Heels will be speaking at the festival next year, but with around two in three women developing at least one fibroid in their lives, talks like hers are important.
You can attend the next Everywoman Festival on 13 June 2026 in London, or sign up for email notifications about future events on the Everywoman Festival website.