Fibroid Treatment
Fibroids are quite common in women of child-bearing age and Women's Health Matters explains that an estimated 30 percent of these women are diagnosed with large fibroids that cause problematic symptoms. Many women who develop fibroids find that they have other family members who have been diagnosed with fibroids, too. Methods to treat fibroids vary and are dependent on the nature of the fibroid and physicians' findings.
What is a Fibroid?
Fibroids are also referred to as myomas or leiomyomas and are rarely cancerous. Fibroids develop within the uterus lining and can be as small as a pea or as big as a grapefruit. According to the University of California San Francisco, there are several different types of fibroids; submucosal (expand from the wall of the uterus), intramural (develop inside the uterine wall), subserosal (grow outward from the uterine wall) and pedunculated (attach to the wall of the uterus with stalk-like structures).
Monitoring
For some women, a fibroid produces no symptoms or warning signs that are indicative of its existence. In this case, many physicians will recommend an initial period of watching and waiting. During this time, the fibroid is usually measured and monitored to determine whether or not the fibroid is growing or producing worrisome symptoms. In the book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibroids: New Techniques and Therapies- Including Breakthrough Alternatives to Hysterectomy," author Scott C. Goodwin explains that monitoring is suggested in cases where symptoms do not need immediate treatment. In fact, some patients will find that the onset of menopause brings relief, and its accompanying hormone level drops cause fibroids to shrink.
Pharmaceutical Treatments
There are several different types of medications that a physician may utilize to treat fibroids. However, the use of pharmaceutical treatments will not completely destroy or eliminate the fibroid. The goal of pharmaceutical treatments is to shrink the fibroid and relieve symptoms. A Gn-RH antagonist such as Lupron is often used to stop the menstruation cycle and shrink the thyroid. Also, contraception medications and hormone supplements such as progestin and Danazol may also be prescribed. EhealthMD.com explains that pharmaceutical treatments are only for short-term use. If fibroid growth resumes when medication is stopped, another treatment may be necessary.
Surgical Procedures
Surgical procedures to treat fibroids are chosen according to the size, amount and severity of symptoms associated with the diagnosed fibroids. For large fibroids that cause severe symptoms, a hysterectomy or myomectomy is performed. The hysterectomy involves the removal of the uterus, and a myomectomy keeps the uterus in tact but removes the fibroids. Other surgical methods that may be used are myolysis, a procedure that uses electric current to shrink the fibroid and "focused ultrasound surgery" which InSightec reports as a method that is non-invasive and done on an outpatient basis, using high-frequency sound waves to destroy the fibroid.
The Bottom Line
Healthy Women.org reveals that of all the procedures available for the treatment of fibroids, hysterectomy is the only one that is 100 percent reliable. However, it is also the most invasive procedure and carries the most risks. Each medical case is individually based and it is ultimately up to the woman to decide which procedure is right for her. This will require a full disclosure and description of each procedure and input from a trusted gynecologist.
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