How Do I Know If I Have Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are scientifically termed leiomyomata. They are smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. They are nearly always benign.
Fibroids are often first found during a routine pelvic exam. To double check, an ultrasound may be performed, either transvaginally or abdominally. A three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can also be used to find the fibroids, a process called fibroid mapping.
What Are the Treatments for Uterine Fibroids?
If your fibroids aren’t causing you any problems, it is reasonable to consider doing nothing. Not all fibroids grow. Even large fibroids may not cause any symptoms, and most fibroids shrink after menopause. But you should monitor their growth, especially if you develop symptoms such as bleeding or pain, by having exams every six months.
Hormone Therapy
To help prevent more growth of the fibroid, your doctor may recommend that you stop taking birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. But in some cases, oral contraceptives are prescribed to help control the bleeding and anemia from fibroids, even though certain forms of the pill may cause fibroids to grow.
GnRH Agonists
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists may be prescribed to shrink fibroids and reduce anemia anemia. These drugs are expensive and shouldn’t be taken for more than four months due to the risk of developing osteoporosis. A low-dose of estrogen may be given with GnRH agonists to avoid osteoporosis and menopausal symptoms. Once women stop taking the drug, the fibroids regrow.
SERMs
SERMs, or selective estrogen receptor modulators, may be able to shrink fibroids without causing menopause symptoms.
Fibroid Embolization
To shrink a fibroid, your doctor may recommend uterine fibroid embolization. In this procedure, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is injected into the arteries that feed the fibroid. The PVA blocks the blood supply to the fibroid, causing it to shrink. Uterine fibroid embolization is a nonsurgical procedure, but you may need to spend several nights in the hospital since nausea, vomiting, and pain may occur in the first few days afterward.
Myomectomy
Fibroids can be removed by a surgery known as a myomectomy. If you plan to become pregnant, a myomectomy may be recommended over other options. Even with myomectomy, though, surgery can cause scarring that may cause infertility.
Discuss any plans you have to conceive with your doctor before deciding on surgery. Women should wait four to six months after surgery before trying to conceive. In most women, symptoms go away following a myomectomy, although fibroids return in a quarter to a third of women who have this procedure. Successful surgery partially depends on the number of fibroids and whether they were all removed.
A less invasive type of myomectomy uses a hysteroscope — a long, thin lighted tube — to enter the uterus through the vagina and cervix. Fibroids can then be removed by a tool inserted through the hysteroscope.
Hysterectomy
Hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), is the only treatment that guarantees a cure from fibroids. For many women, though, hysterectomy may not be necessary.
Home Remedies
When fibroids grow on the outside of the uterus, you may become aware of a mass on your abdomen. Lying down and placing a hot pack or hot water bottle on your lower abdomen may lessen pain. Apply the hot packs several times a day. NSAIDs like Advil and Motrin can also ease pain.