Fibroid treatment options include surgery, medications, or a combination of these. The best treatment for your condition depends on your symptoms, as well as your overall health. Medications that control pain or regulate hormones may help your body cope with fibroids and reduce bleeding. In addition, these medications may also help shrink fibroids. A doctor may also prescribe iron and vitamins if heavy bleeding is a symptom of your condition. Noninvasive surgery is another option for fibroid treatment. It involves using a high-energy ultrasound transducer to focus sound waves directly into your fibroid.I strongly suggest you to visit Access Vascular Health: Michelle Maneevese, MD to learn more about this.
Various lab tests can help your doctor determine whether your fibroids are affecting your menstrual cycle. These tests will help rule out other conditions like bleeding disorders or thyroid problems. Your doctor may also suggest magnetic resonance imaging to help you see the exact size of your fibroids. This procedure can also identify different types of tumors. It is often performed on women who have larger fibroids or those approaching menopause.
The procedure has a low risk of side effects and is safe. In clinical trials, it may be more effective than surgery for fibroid treatment. In one randomized controlled trial, a woman with high symptoms had a 30%+ 11% reduction in their fibroid volume after treatment. Furthermore, despite the risk of adverse effects, the treatment was well tolerated and had no significant complications.
The procedure may only address some fibroids at a time, but initial studies suggest that it improves symptoms in up to 80-90% of women. During the procedure, patients tolerate it well and report high satisfaction. Only one to two percent of patients experience serious ischemic injury to the uterus, so it is important to know that this procedure is safe for you.
Another minimally invasive procedure that can be used for fibroid treatment is radiofrequency ablation. It uses radiofrequency energy to destroy the fibroids and shrink the blood vessels that feed them. Another option is cryomyolysis, which freezes the fibroids. Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation (Lap-RFA) requires two small abdominal incisions and uses a thin viewing instrument to locate the fibroids. The recovery time from the procedure is about one to two hours and most women are able to resume normal activities within a week.
If you have fibroids that are affecting the function of your uterus, your doctor may recommend hysterectomy. This surgical procedure removes the fibroids from your uterus while preserving fertility. It can be performed as an open procedure or with minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques. The latter method has a reduced risk of complications and faster recovery time.
Another method for fibroid treatment is magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). A focused ultrasound system is FDA-approved and is widely used for this purpose. Its effectiveness in treating uterine fibroids has been studied in a pivotal trial involving 192 women with symptomatic uterine fibroids. In this study, the majority of patients (70%) reported a reduction of their UFS-QOL questionnaire scores.