Uterine Fibroids - Health Hazard or Not?

Uterine Fibroids - Depiction of a fiboid growing inside the uterus.
United States
June 1, 2007 12:03am CST
WCBS Channel 2 News had a special report about uterine fibroids that didn't go all the way. Yes, they showed some small ones, and the doctor mentioned that some women look pregnant with them. Yes, they mentioned that they are genetic, passing from Mother to Daughter. Also discussed extremely briefly were the treatment options. What they failed to mention were how many women end up getting hysterectomies because their doctors recommend it. One such case was a woman who said that she had heavy periods and painful menses were making it tough to get past. She had two medium-sized fibroids. She did not want to ever have to go through the surgery again, so she opted for taking hormones until menopause. Somehow I don't think this is right! She will suffer greatly, and I think she fails to understand the consequences of removing her organs. Most women don't! Doctors smooth-talk them until they get the easy way out. Hysterectomy is not the only treat men. There is embolization - where they block the arteries that feed the fibroid. This can be a safe operation, but many women report loss of nerve sensation due to some other veins being blocked. There can also be severe pain as the fibroid lapses into necrosis. Myomectomy is the surgical removal of the fibroids, leaving a possibly working uterus. It requires a longer hospital stay, similar to hysterectomy. But now there's a new treatment - called "ExAblate", that uses ultrasound to thermally destroy the fibroid while sparing good tissue and other organs. Don in real time with computer aided technology, it appears to be one of the safer routes for women, requiring two days hospital stay. ExAblation has not been tested for fibroid regrowth, nor has it had a long testing period. Hormonal therapies are also a treatment, putting the patient into a simulated menopause. Once treatment is ceased, the fibroids will grow back. So there are our options... In many ways I'm really disgusted with invasiveness in surgery. ExAblation is my hope, but I've got a few years to wait to see if it meets my safety standards. By then I'll be in menopause, anyway. Feh! What do you think of these treatments? Do you think they are good enough? Which would you choose, if you had to?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
1 Jun 07
I'd probably go for removal - I never wanted the darn thing ANYWAY. Fortuantly I've never had too many "female problems" and with all my other medical problems my doctors are very grateful.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (94001)
• United States
1 Jun 07
My mom actually went through this. Her doctor was female, and this took place about 8 years ago. Things might have changed since then. But the doctor recommended removing her uterus. She was bleeding constantly and in a lot of pain. They went in and she had numerous fibroid tumors. They were so many that they were growing outside her uterus. They took her ovaries only because she and her doctor talked about how ovarian cancer was the hardest cancer to treat successfully, because by the time doctors find it, it is usually too late. So she had it all removed at a fairly young age. And she was so happy. The only problem she had, was that they removed some of her stomach muscles (they had to do so to get it all apparently - I don't understand that part) she can never get that part perfectly toned, because there are no muscles to tone, just body fat. She didn't look heavy with the fibroids, and she looks just fine now. But she also didn't have the horrific menopausal incidents that so many women reports. She went through it all with ease. But I think if there are more options since then, patients should for sure be told! That is why it is important we are pro active in our health. We can learn about it ourselves and then decide what to do with or without the doctor who gave you the initial advice for a hysterectomy.