During this unprecedented time, we want to remind you not to neglect underlying health issues like previously diagnosed fibroids with heavy symptoms. The Atlanta Fibroid Center is committed to the safety of our patients and our staff. While the situation with the COVID-19 continues to evolve and changes daily, we have implemented steps to comply with the current CDC guidelines and keep our patients and our staff as safe as possible.
To that end, we have temporarily postponed procedures that can be delayed and are encouraging office visits to be through our secure telemedicine portal. For those patients that decide to come in to see Dr. John Lipman in the office, please note that these appointments are limited to the patient and only 1 additional person. We will also limit the number of patients we see due to social distancing in our waiting room, and the number of total appointments is also reduced to limit the number of people that are in the office each day. Similarly, for patients having procedures, they will have their own private room (which is theirs alone for the day) and will be allowed 1 person to be with them. Antimicrobial wipes and hand sanitizer are supplied in each of these private rooms.
For those unfamiliar with virtual appointments, we can see all routine consultations and follow up visits over the Internet. Patients will still need a pelvic MRI prior to the scheduled teleconsultation. These virtual consults are best done on a laptop or desktop versus a mobile smartphone. The substance of the consultation is no different than being in the office and every patient will have ample time to go over their MRI images and ask as many questions as necessary.
When Uterine Fibroid Treatment Should Not Be Delayed
Due to the variable nature of uterine fibroids, there are instances when fibroid treatment should not be delayed. Although it’s important to understand the risks of Covid-19 exposure, we assure you that we are doing everything possible to keep you safe when you visit the
While most patients can delay their UFE procedure for a few weeks, some patients cannot. If you are dealing with fibroids and are experiencing serious symptoms that you feel cannot be delayed (exs. excessively heavy bleeding with large clots, severe pelvic pain), we will be happy to assist you with getting you the necessary treatment.
You Do Not Need a Surgery to Treat Uterine Fibroids
UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization) is a nonsurgical procedure that treats all of the fibroids and does not require a hospital stay. At this time, hospitals are deferring all fibroid surgery. This is due to the risk of a surgical complication resulting in an ICU admission when there are precious few ICU beds available, as well as, saving on operating room space and supplies. The nonsurgical UFE procedure is a solution for women suffering from uterine fibroids that feel that they cannot delay their treatment.
Benefits of Uterine Fibroid Embolization
- Extremely safe, painless, and minimally invasive procedure.
- Intervention is highly effective (90% success rate).
- Fibroids do not recur (in contrast to myomectomy which has symptom recurrence in most patients within 5 years).
- A very brief post-procedural stay, usually just a few hours.
- UFE is NOT surgery, the procedure is performed under local and intravenous anesthesia (i.e. no general anesthesia) and takes 30-40 minutes.
- Very low complication rate.
- You keep your uterus (therefore avoiding post hysterectomy side effects: sexual dysfunction, significant bone loss, urinary leaking, and the inability to bear children).
Learn more about the benefits of UFE
For more information on fibroids and UFE, make a virtual appointment with the physician that has one of the largest UFE experience in the United States, Dr. John Lipman of the Atlanta Fibroid Center by calling 770-214-4600 or make a virtual appointment online.
