“I’m through having children, but I’m not through with my uterus! Is there any treatment for fibroids without surgery?”
This is what a patient told me recently as to why she was in my office for a second opinion. She was a typical patient that I encounter every day in my practice at the Atlanta Fibroid Center. She was African-American, in her late thirties, had three children, and was suffering miserably for years with uterine fibroids.
She was told by her Gynecologist that her only treatment option was a partial hysterectomy. She asked if there was anything less invasive and her Gynecologist said no. The Gynecologist was actually surprised that she wasn’t interested in a hysterectomy. She was not given any options for fibroid removal without surgery.
Hysterectomy: Ending Fibroids, Starting New Problems
Hysterectomy is the 2nd most common surgery performed in the United States even though half of the population isn’t eligible for the procedure (i.e. they are men without a uterus). The most common reason a hysterectomy is performed is not for uterine cancer which would be appropriate, but It is most commonly performed as a treatment for benign uterine fibroids.
The average age of women who are undergoing hysterectomies today is less than 40 years of age. I have met far too many young women under the age of 30 who have already had a hysterectomy due to fibroids. None of these women wanted a hysterectomy, but they were suffering terribly and were not given any other uterine fibroid treatment options besides surgery.
A study from Northwestern (1) revealed only 10% of symptomatic fibroid patients were told about nonsurgical alternatives to hysterectomy.
While hysterectomy does end the problems associated with fibroids, it often creates new problems for these women. Women who undergo hysterectomy often struggle psychologically like a man being castrated. Long-term complications are associated with removing a woman’s uterus. These include sexual dysfunction (e.g. loss of libido, loss of orgasm)., bone loss, increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. The cardiovascular risk is even higher for women under 50 and as stated previously, the average age for these women is 10 years younger than this.
What If There Was Treatment of Fibroids Without Surgery?
What if there was a way to get relief from miserable fibroid symptoms without undergoing any surgery, requiring a hospital stay, or the use of general anesthesia, and be able to keep your uterus? What if this nonsurgical, outpatient procedure had a 25+ years track record of safety and efficacy? What if the governing board of Gynecologists (i.e. the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists) had approved the procedure many years ago and this procedure was covered by many major insurance carriers, including Medicare & Medicaid?
Would You Like To Know How To Get Rid Of Fibroids Without Surgery?
Uterine fibroid embolization (or uterine artery embolization) is a safe and effective uterine fibroid treatment and one of the biggest medical breakthroughs. While this is not a new treatment for fibroids without surgery, most women have never heard of it, largely because their Gynecologists fail to mention it to them. This is a great disservice to women, particularly African-American women who disproportionately suffer from fibroids. African-American women not only get fibroids more frequently than other racial groups, but they also get them earlier in life, and the fibroids are bigger and more numerous. This combination results in a lot of unnecessary hysterectomies in very young, African-American women.
This is one of many racial disparities, but one that can be addressed with education, appropriate models for research, and the sharing of information. To that end, Vice-President Harris (when she was in the Senate) and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke have introduced HR 2007 The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Fibroid Research & Education Act of 2021. It funds much-needed research on where fibroids come from, along with educating healthcare providers and the public on the treatment of fibroids without surgery like UFE.
Most Fibroids Can Be Eliminated In One 45-Minute Procedure
A fibroid diagnosis does not mean you will need to have surgery. This is an important message that every woman needs to hear because most women do not know that fibroid removal without surgery is possible. Uterine fibroid embolization can address any size fibroid, no matter how deeply embedded it may be in the uterine lining, without compromising the integrity of your uterus, unlike a surgical myomectomy. OB-GYNs do not perform the UFE procedure, so they rarely mention it to their patients as an option for fibroid treatment.
If you are suffering from uterine fibroids, no matter what your Gynecologist tells you, get a 2nd opinion from an Interventional Radiologist like Dr. John Lipman at Atlanta Fibroid Center. UFE treats all of the fibroids in the uterus, whether you have 1 or 100. More than 90% of patients find relief from their symptoms when they use the UFE treatment for fibroids without surgery or the risks, complications, and long-term side effects that go along with it.UFE is safer, less invasive, less expensive, and has a much shorter recovery time. You get to keep your uterus, and perhaps even have children in the future!
Learn more about UFE at ATLii.com or call to make an appointment to see us at 770-953-2600. #DontLoseUrU #UFE #HR2007.
