SURGERY IS NOT AN ANSWER TO EVERY FIBROID.

Fibroids are the most frequently seen tumours in the female reproductive system. They are not a disease, they occur because of the genetic code. And with 99 per cent of fibroids non-cancerous, not all need surgery or cause problems.

How to handle fibroids?

• Masterly inactivity: When? They are not causing any problem, there is no rapid growth, or you have reached menopause. Just a yearly ultrasonography to monitor them is enough, as any form of treatment (surgical or non-surgical) may give rise to complications.
• Myomectomy: It is one of the best possible, where your uterus is conserved. You can do it laparoscopically or with an open surgery depending on the size, number and location of the fibroids. Submucous fibroids can be removed with a day care procedure, without a single cut on your body. Usual risks associated with anaesthesia and surgery need to be considered.
• Uterine Artery Embolisation: Done by an interventional radiologist, it involves blocking of blood flow to the fibroids by embolic spheres and thus killing them. But it's not free of complications. One of the serious complications is misembolisation. It occurs when the gel spheres travel to unwanted areas like ovaries, bladder, kidneys, legs, heart, lungs, etc. and cause severe consequences including death. Last but not the least, it's not fully known whether UAE poses any pregnancy complications.
• Focused ultrasound energy: In this process ultrasound rays are used to destroy the tissue of the fibroid. The rays may harm your skin or adjacent organs like the intestine or the urinary bladder.
• Medicines: GnRH agonists (Gonodotropin-releasing hormone agonists), which are anti-hormonal agents sometimes shrink a fibroid, making treatment easier but not disappear permanently. LNG-IUS (levenorgestrel intrauterine system), a medicated intrauterine device can sometimes decrease pain and bleeding and also may shrink the fibroid temporarily.
• Fertility with fibroids: There is no way to know with surety which fibroid is going to affect fertility or pregnancy. Generally, a fibroid which projects into the uterine cavity is assumed to cause poor fertility and needs to be removed.

So, having a fibroid does not always mean surgery. 

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