Uterine Fibroids: What, Why, How.




Ø  Uterine Fibroids is a type of benign tumour grows on the body of the uterus.
Ø  In some cases, these fibroids largely increase the size of the uterus. There could be multiple fibroids in the uterus.
Ø  The symptoms are not apparent in everyone but in most cases, pain and bleeding problems occur according to the size and position of these fibroids.
Ø  Uterine fibroid is the most common tumour of the uterus. However, in most cases, the symptoms of the tumour are not evident.

Symptoms of Uterine Fibroid:

Only 20-30% of women require treatment and the symptoms include:
Ø  Prolonged and abnormal bleeding during menstruation which often leads to the possibility of Anaemia
Ø  Pain in the pelvis. Pain in the back and the legs, in most cases
Ø  Pain during physical intercourse
Ø  Frequent urination due to pressure in the bladder
Ø  Constipation and abnormal swelling due to pressure in the bowel
Ø  Abnormal swelling of the abdomen

Diagnosis:

It is through an image guided procedure that interventional radiologists can detect the disease and carry out the treatment without surgery.
Ultrasound is a primary procedure through which fibroid or other diseases cannot be determined.

Treatment:

A)    Medications, like leuprolide (Lupron), are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists. They work by blocking hormone production.
This causes the fibroids to shrink, which relieves uterine fibroid symptoms like heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, or needing to urinate all the time
B)    If the primary treatment turns out to be a failure, the fibroids are usually removed through surgical procedures like hysterectomy or myomectomy.
Ø  This fibroid can be treated without surgery through embolization
Uterine FibroidEmbolization (UFE) is a highly advanced minimally invasive surgery. 

Advantages of Embolization:
-          The body does not have to undergo any cuts or stitches
-          The patient does not have to unconscious. Moreover, it is less complicated
-          The patient can return to work within a few days of this process
-          The formation of fibroids does not take place for the second time
-          The reproductive process stays intact
-          Ovaries are not required to be removed

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