Fibroids can be a severe detriment to your life. If you’re here, you’re probably experiencing the symptoms of fibroids and are interested in learning more about how they can be treated. You’re not alone – up to 80% of women will develop uterine fibroids before they reach the age of 50!
What are Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas or myomas, are non-cancerous growths on the uterus that affect premenopausal women. These growths appear on the muscular walls of the uterus and can range in size. Although fibroids are non-cancerous, they can still cause many problems in women depending on their size and location.
What types of uterine fibroids are there?
Four types of uterine fibroids may form in the uterus: intramural, submucosal, subserosal, and pedunculated fibroids. Women can develop one or more types of fibroids at any time. Each type may cause different symptoms.
These fibroids are embedded into the muscular wall of your uterus. They’re the most common type. Pelvic or lower back pain and abnormal bleeding may result from this fibroid type.
These fibroids grow under the inner lining of your uterus. This type of fibroid may cause excessive bleeding and other significant complications.
This type of fibroid grows under the lining of the outer surface of your uterus. They can become quite large and grow into your pelvis. Large growths in this region can crowd nearby organs and cause discomfort or pain.
The least common type, these fibroids attach to your uterus with a stalk or stem. They’re often described as mushroom-like because they have a stalk and then a wider top. Quick movements may cause the peduncle to twist and cut blood flow, resulting in intense pain.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Although uterine fibroids are very common, many women do not know they have them since symptoms may be minimal or they do not notice the symptoms. The location, size, and the number of fibroids present may influence whether you experience noticeable symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms are:
- Uterine pressure or pain
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Bleeding between your periods
- Severe cramps
- Abdominal enlargement
- A bloated feeling
- Pain during or following intercourse
- Pain down the back of one or both legs
- Constipation
- An urge to urinate frequently
There are several risk factors that can play a role in your chances of developing fibroids. These can include:
- Sedentary lifestyle, overweight
- Genetic predisposition
- Stress
- Profuse menstruation
- Hypertension
- Hormonal factor
- Abortion inflammation, intrauterine contraceptive’
- Diabetes
In many cases, a healthcare provider discovers uterine fibroids during a pelvic exam. Quite often, heavy bleeding and other related symptoms may alert your provider to consider fibroids as a part of the diagnosis. There are several tests that can be done to confirm fibroids and determine their size and location.
Treatment Options
Treatment for uterine fibroids can vary depending on the size, number, and location of the fibroids, as well as what symptoms they’re causing. If you aren’t experiencing any symptoms from your fibroids, you may not need treatment. Small fibroids can often be left alone. Some people never experience any symptoms or have any problems associated with fibroids. In these cases, your provider may recommend monitoring your fibroids with pelvic exams or ultrasounds.
If you’re experiencing symptoms from your fibroids — including anemia from excess bleeding, moderate to severe pain or urinary tract and bowel problems — you’ll need treatment to help.
There are several options for treating uterine fibroids. Your doctor may suggest hormonal medications first. If these treatment options prove unsuccessful, you typically then have two types of procedures to choose from: surgery or the more advanced Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE).
UFE is a minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment that is performed through a tiny incision in the skin. Using real-time imaging, an interventional radiologist guides a catheter into the uterine arteries and then releases tiny particles—the size of grains of sand—to block the blood flow that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fibroid tumors, causing them to shrink or disappear.
Benefits of UFE
UFE takes around one to two hours to complete, and you will not need to stay for an extended amount of time for observation, unlike a major surgery that requires an extended hospital stay that allows the medical staff to monitor you for days.
You can resume regular activities within a few days, unlike a hysterectomy which will require six to eight weeks for a full recovery. Many women feel ready to return to work within a few days after treatment and enjoy a full recovery within one or two weeks.
Recent research shows that uterine fibroids do not have a significant impact on fertility, while the removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) makes fertility impossible. Many women diagnosed with fibroids are under the age of 44, meaning they can and may still want to have children. For many of these women, maintaining the ability to have children will be among the most important factors in choosing treatment. Choosing UFE means keeping your uterus. If you wish to become pregnant or would like to preserve the possibility, UFE is the ideal uterine fibroid treatment for you.
Women who get a hysterectomy will often enter menopause after the surgery, and this is a certainty if the ovaries are removed during surgery. Even women who undergo ovary-sparing hysterectomy, compared to women not undergoing surgery, have nearly twice the risk of ovarian failure, which can lead to the onset of menopause symptoms. A woman who is over 50 may not be bothered by this notion, since menopause will occur soon anyway; but a woman in her 20s, 30s or even 40s may not be ready to enter this stage of life. The idea of entering early menopause is upsetting for many women, which is why women should be aware that other options will allow them to treat their fibroids while delaying menopause.
Uterine fibroid embolization is a lower-risk alternative to hysterectomy. All major surgeries come with risks. Whether it’s anesthesia or infection, you contend with fewer risks when choosing UFE.
Because of the strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of the treatment, UFE is covered by most insurance providers. Additionally, an analysis of UFE has found that, for a health care facility, it is more cost-effective than a hysterectomy. The cost difference can be attributed to the shorter time required to perform the treatment, as well as the elimination of a hospital stay.
Additional Resources about Uterine Fibroids and UFE
For more information about uterine fibroids and the treatments available, visit any of the websites listed below.