Ways To Treat Fibroids

Fibroids refer to growths in the female reproductive system. It is estimated that 80 percent of American women of reproductive age have or have had these growths. Fibroids are also called fibromas, lelomyomas, or uterine myomas. They are small non-cancerous tumors, which are made of fibrous connective tissue and smooth muscle that develops in the uterus. Majority of the women with fibroids do not even know that they have them because they have no symptoms or they have mild symptoms. However, some other women experience severe and disruptive symptoms, which include low back pain, frequent urination, pelvic pain, heavy or prolonged periods, and abnormal bleeding between periods.

About 99 percent of fibroid cases are not associated with cancer, and they don’t increase a woman’s risk of developing uterine cancer. Scientists are still researching on the exact cause of fibroids, although it is believed that they originate from an abnormal muscle cell in the uterus. The muscle multiplies rapidly under the influence of estrogen resulting in the growth of the tumor.

If you have been diagnosed with these non-cancerous growths, you may not need to undergo treatment unless the symptoms become unbearable. In some women, fibroids grow slowly while in others, they shrink on their own. If your symptoms become severe, immediate treatment may be necessary. Some of the treatment options for fibroids include:

Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System

Levonorgestrel is an active ingredient in contraceptive pills, also known as “morning pills.” The female hormone causes changes in the cervix making it hard for the sperm to swim to the uterus and for the fertilized egg to attach to the uterine wall.

Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) refers to a T-shaped plastic device that contains a reservoir of the levonorgestrel hormone, and it is widely used for its contraception effects. The LNG-IUS is placed in the uterus by a doctor where it releases small amounts of the hormone to prevent pregnancy for 3-5 years.

Besides being widely used as a contraceptive, levonorgestrel intrauterine system has also been widely used for its non-contraceptive effects. Current research shows that LNG-IUS can be a safe alternative for the treatment of symptomatic fibroids in women. The T-shaped device is inserted in the uterus where it releases 20 µg of the hormone per day for three to five years of use. The levonorgestrel hormone prevents your womb from growing too quickly, hence resulting in lighter bleeding. The device has been in the market since the 1990s.

Traxenamic acid

In instances where LNG-IUS can’t be used, for instance, where contraception isn’t required, your doctor may prescribe tranexamic acid tablets. The FDA approved both tranexamic acid tablets and LNG-IUS in 2009 for use in the prevention of heavy bleeding in women. The two medications greatly help in improving an individual’s quality of life.

The tablets are widely used outside the U.S, and it reduces menstrual blood loss by up to 40 percent. For women with fibroids, this medication helps in preventing excessive blood loss and also causes the shrinkage of the fibroids, especially for people with large fibroids. One of the major symptoms for fibroids is excessive blood loss, which can lead to anemia and a host of other health problems.

Myomectomy

Myomectomy refers to a surgery conducted to remove fibroids from the uterus. It is a great option for women who want their symptomatic fibroids removed, and yet retain their ability to become pregnant. This procedure is minimally invasive and keeps the uterus intact.

Doctors use different approaches to remove fibroids from the uterus. They include laparoscopic, hysteroscopic, robotic or abdominal approaches. Some of the techniques involve the insertion of an instrument through the vagina and into the uterus to remove the tumors. In other techniques, a doctor may make small incisions on the abdominal and uterine walls to remove the fibroids. In most cases, the fibroids don’t grow back after the surgery. But, some fibroids may grow with time, especially in instances where they were not detected during surgery.

Morcellation is another procedure that is commonly conducted after the fibroids have been removed from the uterus. It involves breaking of the tumors into smaller fragments before removing them. However, this procedure is unsuitable especially for women in menopause because they are at a higher risk of uterus cancer.

Uterine artery embolisation

Uterine artery embolisation (UAE) is an alternative procedure to myomectomy for treating fibroids. Your doctor may recommend UAE if your fibroids have grown to the size of a grapefruit. The radiologist, a specialist who interprets scans and x-rays, conducts this procedure.

UAE involves blocking blood supply to the fibroids, thus depriving the fibroids of their lifeblood. Shrinking the fibroids by denying them the supply of blood and nutrients can help to ease some of your symptoms. During this procedure, the doctor won’t need to make any cuts on you.

Instead, the doctor will insert a catheter guided by fluoroscopic x-ray imaging into the fibroid’s blood vessels where a chemical is injected, hence blocking blood supply to the tumors. The technique is effective in shrinking the fibroid and reducing the overall size of the uterus.

UAE is conducted under general anesthesia. You will be conscious, but sleepy. During the UAE procedure, you might feel some pressure as the radiologist inserts the catheter, but there should be no pain at all. UAE causes some side effects that might cause you to spend a day or two at the hospital.

Ulipristal acetate

Ulipristal acetate (UA) is another progesterone receptor modulator that is widely used as a postcoital contraceptive. The medicine has been in the medical scene for about two decades where it has been used as a postcoital contraceptive. Most of the biochemical studies have revealed that progesterone and its receptors significantly contribute to the growth of fibroids. It, therefore, raised the possibility that using progesterone receptor modulators and anti-progesterone agents can help in the management of fibroids.

The medicine has been passed in Western Europe for short-term clinical use for patients who are about to undergo surgery for fibroids. Ulipristal acetate has shown significant efficacy in reducing fibroid volume, uterine bleeding and improving the patient’s quality of life without adverse side effects.

There are claims that using UA can result in liver damage. Whereas these claims haven’t been confirmed, your doctor should elaborate all the risks, as well as conduct several blood tests to check the state of your liver before and after taking medicine. If you have an underlying liver problem, talk to your doctor since taking UA in such state can increase the risk of liver damage.