For over twenty-five years, Dr. John Lipman and the Atlanta Fibroid Center have been helping women suffering from fibroids from Atlanta, from Georgia, and even throughout the US and beyond. We believe that women are entitled to know all of their fibroid treatment options and what are the risks and benefits of each of them.
Medical therapy is often the first-line therapy for uterine fibroids, although the medications used to date have not been very effective and some even stimulate fibroids to grow. A Recent addition to the medical armamentarium is elagolix, estradiol, and norethindronare (trade name ORIAHNN®).
What Is ORIAHNN?
This medication is taken in capsule form and was approved by the FDA in May 2020 for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding caused by uterine fibroids in women who have not reached menopause. This medication is not intended to be taken for longer than 24 months.
How Does ORIAHNN Work?
It uses a blend of ingredients that inhibit the lining of the uterus from growing thick, so there is not as much blood flow during your monthly period.
It contains a synthetic copy of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone called Elagolix, which blocks the effects of the hormones that regulate ovulation and trigger the creation of the uterine lining, which reduces menstrual bleeding. It also contains Estradiol, which is a form of estrogen and is meant to help curtail bone loss. The other key ingredient is norethindrone acetate, which is a form of progesterone that is meant to mitigate some of the side effects caused by estrogen.
What Is The ORIAHNN Dosage And How Is It Administered?
This prescription medication comes in capsule form, with two different capsules taken at different times each day. The first capsule is designed to be taken in the morning and contains all three ingredients detailed above. The second capsule is meant to be taken in the evening and only contains Elagolix. It can be taken with or without food, but you should avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while you are taking this medication because it can increase some side effects.
Who Should Avoid Taking ORIAHNN?
ORIAHNN is not suitable for everyone, including:
- Those who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It can increase your risk of miscarriage. It is important to note that ORIAHNN does not prevent pregnancy and can cause changes to your period, making it hard to know if you become pregnant. You might need to rely on secondary signs of pregnancy (e.g. breast tenderness, nausea) and confirm with a pregnancy test. For those that do not want to become pregnant, non-hormonal birth control methods need to be used (e.g. condom, diaphragm, vaginal rings) and not birth control pills;
- Women with a history of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, coronary issues, circulation problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic headaches, breast cancer, unexplained vaginal bleeding, or liver disease;
- Women who are over 35 and smoke.
Does ORIAHNN Really Control Heavy Bleeding?
ORIAHNN showed promising results in controlling heavy menstrual bleeding during two different clinical trials, each lasting 6 months. The trial consisted of women between the ages of 25 and 53 who were diagnosed with fibroids and suffered from heavy bleeding each month.
Around 70% of the women who were taking ORIAHNN during the trial noticed at least a 50% reduction in the amount of blood they lost during their menstrual cycle. After six months on the medication, most women went from losing about 1 cup of blood each month to only one-third of a cup. Also, about half of the women who were taking the ORIAHNN noticed an increase in their hemoglobin levels.
What Are The Most Common Side Effects?
The most common side effects when taking ORIAHNN include hot flashes, bone loss, depression, headaches, feeling tired, and irregular periods. In some cases, it can cause hair loss, liver problems, or mood changes (depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts).
Are There More Serious Side Effects Of ORIAHNN?
Yes, in fact, ORIAHNN cannot be taken for longer than 24 months due to the serious side effects that it can lead to. If you are considering using this medication, it is important that you are aware of these risks. The use of ORIAHNN can result in serious side effects, including:
- A boxed warning, which is the most serious type of warning given by the FDA, about the risk of blood vessel issues and blood clots;
- This increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke;
- Significant depression;
- Hair loss that may be permanent;
- Liver problems causing jaundice;
- Increased blood sugar levels;
- Bone loss (which can cause bone fractures);
- Severe allergic reaction.
Does ORIAHNN Eliminate Fibroids?
No, it can reduce the amount of bleeding a woman with fibroids will experience during their menstrual cycle. It does this by reducing the thickness of the uterine lining by suppressing its formation. However, it does not treat the cause of this bleeding (i.e the fibroids).
The Downside Of Surgery And Medication For Fibroid Treatment
The best way to eliminate the symptoms of fibroids is to deal with the root cause, which is the fibroids themselves. A hysterectomy can eliminate the fibroids, but it comes at the expense of your uterus.
While doctors may tell women that they don’t need their uterus if they are not interested in fertility, this is absolutely absurd. There are a number of significant consequences for women who lose their uterus. Given how successful Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is in treating fibroids, hysterectomy should be relegated to a treatment option of last resort.
A Fibroid Treatment That Is Superior To Surgery And Medication
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is the least invasive and most effective form of fibroid treatment that can eliminate all the symptoms of fibroids, not just heavy bleeding. To understand why UFE is the best treatment for fibroids, you must understand a little bit about fibroids and how they operate.
The Mystery Of Why Fibroids Form
No one knows what causes fibroids to form, but researchers have gathered data regarding the types of conditions and circumstances that make a woman more susceptible to their growth. They also understand that there is a direct correlation between excess estrogen and fibroid growth, which explains why fibroids often grow larger during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Fibroids are made from the same type of muscular tissue cells that are found in the muscular walls of the uterus, but for some unknown reason, these cells have gone rogue and begun to grow in other locations in and on the uterus. Then these thieving fibroids latch onto a blood vessel that has a direct link to the uterine artery and begin to divert its blood supply to support themselves.
Why Fibroids Cause Symptoms
Some fibroids can grow very large and begin crowding nearby organs or pressing on nerves, creating back or leg pain, pressure and pain in the abdomen, pain during sex, and frequent urination that persists even throughout the night, preventing the woman from getting a good night’s sleep.
A woman may also have several fibroids growing within her uterus that may cause heavy or prolonged bleeding during her period, interfere with her fertility, cause complications during pregnancy, or even make her look like she is already pregnant because they are distending her abdomen.
Getting Rid Of The Fibroids
To eliminate these fibroids, it is necessary to take away the blood source that is keeping them alive. The UFE procedure is done without surgery in an outpatient setting and is designed to inject very tiny particles into each of the blood vessels that provide blood to the fibroids. Once this blood supply is cut off, they begin to die. This causes the fibroids to soften and shrink, which eliminates the symptoms they are causing.
UFE Is Not Routinely Offered As An Option For Treatment
Most women are not offered UFE as a treatment option by their OB/GYN because they do not perform the UFE procedure. It is carried out by a specially trained interventional radiologist like Dr. John Lipman with the Atlanta Fibroid Center. The procedure is covered by all insurance carriers. After a 30-minute procedure and a 3-4 hour recovery period, patients are discharged to complete a typical 5-7 day recovery at home. This compares to the typical 6-8 week recovery period for the surgical treatment options. In addition, UFE is much safer than surgery with complications that are much less significant and occur much less often than surgery.
Get Help Today Without A Host Of Nasty Side Effects
There is no reason to trade one problem for several others by undergoing invasive surgery or taking medication that can make your health even worse! Set up a consultation with the Atlanta Fibroid Center today and learn more about UFE and how it can help you gain freedom from the symptoms of fibroids in the least invasive way possible while keeping all of your parts!
