Many treatment options exist; the approaches to be used are at time multi-faceted. If symptoms are present, ask your doctor about possible options for symptom relief.
- Watchful waiting: Many women with uterine fibroids experience no signs or symptoms or negligible signs that they can afford to live with. If this is the case, your doctor may select the watchful waiting option for you. Fibroids are not cancerous and they do not always interfere with pregnancy. Their growth is slow and they tend to shrink after menopause.
- Medications: Drugs used for fibroids are targeted at the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, control symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding. These drugs do not eliminate the fibroids, but may shrink them. Such medications include;
- Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone(GnRH)agonists: This is a group of drugs that work by blocking the production of estrogen and progesterone the hormones that are implicated in the growth of these gowths. They temporarily cause a menopausal state.
- Progestin-releasing intrauterine devices.
- Tranexamic acid. This drugs particularly helps to stop excessive bleeding. It is taken on heavy bleeding days.
- Oral contraceptives may help to regulate the menstrual cycle though they do not away most of the other symptoms.
- Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help with the pain.
- Vitamins and iron if your blood levels are low.
. Non-Invasive procedures such as MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery
Minimally-Invasive Procedures
- Uterine artery embolization
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Laparoscopic/ Robotic Myomectomy
- Hysteroscopic Myomectomy
- Endometrial ablation
Traditional Surgical procedures
- Abdominal Myomectomy: In this surgery, the fibroid is removed from the uterus
- Hysterectomy: In this surgery, the whole uterus is removed.
FURTHER READING:
THIS IS MY STORY! MY EXPERIENCE ON FIBROIDS- PART 1
PART 2- THIS IS MY STORY! MY EXPERIENCE ON FIBROIDS!
Dr Oluwafemi Toluwalase O. is a medical doctor who completed her medical degree from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (MB;BS Lagos). She is also the medical team lead of The Girls’ World Initiative, an NGO focused on girl child empowerment, adolescent health, and sexual purity which has impacted a lot of young females since inception.
She also has a certificate from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on COVID-19: tackling the novel coronavirus. She has a passion for medical literature and any form of digital healthcare as she believes a lot can still be done as regards technology in the healthcare space as well as in medical education. She is a Christian and hobbies range from reading, cooking, writing and editing.
