uterine fibroid tumors | treatment of uterine cysts | plano, tx
DESCRIPTION
The doctors that make up the Women’s Specialists of Plano (972.379.2416) see their fair share of uterine fibroid tumors weekly at their North Texas OBGYN office. Uterine fibroid tumors are one of the most common gynecological conditions affecting American women today—in fact, this year alone, almost 1 in 4 will be diagnosed with a uterine fibroid tumor. While the majority of uterine fibroid tumors are non-cancerous, there is the incidence of malignancy in about 1 in 10,000—making fibroids a worrisome diagnosis for thousands of women. There are new and successful treatment options for uterine fibroid tumors on the market today. The Women's Specialists of Plano doctors share this information in this article.TRANSCRIPT
This article originally published on Hubpages on May 12, 2010. Uterine Fibroid Tumors | Plano, TX | Treatment of Uterine Cysts The doctors that make up the Women’s Specialists of Plano(972.379.2416) see their fair shareof uterine fibroidsweekly attheirNorthTexasOBGYNoffice.Uterinefibroidtumorsareoneofthe most common gynecological conditions affecting Americanwomen today—in fact, this year alone, almost 1 in 4 will bediagnosedwiththesebenignuterinetumors. Whilethemajorityofuterinefibroidtumorsarenon‐cancerous,thereistheincidenceofmalignancy (cancer) in about 1 in 10,000—making fibroids aworrisomediagnosisforthousandsofwomen.Not too long ago, most American women were sent down theroad of having a hysterectomy when diagnosed with uterinefibroids.IrecentlyinterviewedagroupofPlano,Texas‐basedgynecologists—aswellassomeoftheirpatients—andwaspleasantly surprised to learn that thereare in fact severaloptions forpatientssufferingfromuterinefibroids.Fibroidsaretumorsthatdevelopintheuterus,mostoften,affectingwomenovertheageof30and still in childbearingyears.They canbevery small, exist asoneor in groupings, canbesloworfastgrowing,andformany,symptomswillbealmostnon‐existent.Formanywomen,on‐going and at times continuous cramping, bloating, constipation, heavy bleeding and afeeling of pressure andpain in the uterus can exist. Forwomenwith a personal or familyhistory of cancer, knowing that these tumors exist within the uterus can be troublesomemakingthetreatmentofuterinecystsaveryimportantdecisionforthem.
When I met with Patricia, a patient of Dr.Murray Fox, a physician with the Women’sSpecialists of Plano practice, she describedsymptoms that sounded more like apregnancy than a uterine fibroid. Her non‐cancerous uterine tumors presentedthemselvesyearsearlierandovertimebegantogrowuntiltheendresultwasacantaloupesize tumor. With a growth so large, shedecided tohavea fullhysterectomybecauseonce the tumor was removed, much of heruterus would have to be removed with it.Since Patricia was past her child‐bearingyears, a hysterectomy was an acceptableroutetotake.
AccordingtoDr.JulesMonier,agynecologistwithWomen’sSpecialists,mostwomenwillbediagnosedintheearlierstagesthroughroutinepelvicexams.“Weareabletodiagnoseuterinefibroidsearlyoninmostcasesandmonitorthemwitheachpatient. During this time, conservative treatment of uterine cysts can be provided. It’simportantforwomentobecognitiveoftheirsymptomsandpayattentiontowhattheirbodyistellingthemsothatamoreaggressivetreatmentoptioncanbeconsideredifnecessary.Nowomanshouldbeexpectedtoenduretheharshersymptomsthatcancomealongwithuterinefibroids.”Theexact causesof fibroid tumorsareunknown.TheWomen’s SpecialistsofPlanoexpertsagreethattreatmentofuterinecystsisnotnecessarywithuterinefibroidsunlessatleastoneofthefollowingconditionsareoccurring:• Theuterinefibroidisgreaterinsizethana12‐weekpregnancy• Theuterinefibroid(s)isgrowing• Theuterinefibroid(s)iscausingbleeding• Theuterinefibroid(s)iscausingpain• Theuterinefibroid(s)isassociatedwithpregnancylossTreatmentoptionsavailable todayarevastlydifferent thanyearsago. “Beforeourpatientshave to consider a hysterectomy for their uterine fibroids, they do have other treatmentoptions, that in most cases, are successful. Uterine artery embolization andmyomectomyproceduresarehighlyeffective treatmentoptionsandaregenerally recommendedbeforeahysterectomy,”SaysDr.DarylGreebon,aPlano,Texas‐basedOBGYN.During a uterine artery embolization procedure, physicians use an x‐ray camera to injectsmall particles through a catheter directly aimed at the fibroid. These particles block thearteriesthatprovidebloodflowandessentiallycausethefibroidstoshrink.Amyomectomyisasurgicalprocedurewherethefibroidtumorsaresurgicallyremoved.Thisprocedurecanbedonewithanopen incisionorusingamoreminimally‐invasive techniquesuchastheroboticmyomectomy.Theroboticmethodreducesthesideeffectsofthesurgeryand overall recovery. A myomectomy, in general, is considered one of the only surgicaltreatmentoptionsthatpreservefertility.In theproceduresmentionedabove, a largemajorityofwomenexperience reliefwith theirsymptoms.RobinisanotherpatientofWomen’sSpecialistsIinterviewedandonewhohadadramaticallydifferentoutcomethanmyearliersubject. Shealsobattleduterinefibroidtumorssinceshewasinherlate20’sandbecauseshestilldesiredtohavechildren,sheoptedtohavearoboticmyomectomy.Dr.DennisEisenbergperformedthesurgeryroboticallyandtoday,sheremainssymptomfree fromher fibroid tumors. Although theriskof themreturningdoesexist; shehasnothadanyrealsignificantgrowthsorreoccurrences.
Dr. Murray Fox explains, “Uterine fibroid tumors can affect the quality of life. I have hadyoungwomenwhoareafraidtogototheirplacesofbusinessforfeartheywillsoakthroughtheir clothes due to heavy bleeding caused by fibroids, and others who have experiencedweight gain in the abdominal area because of fast growing and oversized tumors. ThequestionIgooverwithmypatientsfirstisshouldthefibroidtumorsbetreated?Iftheanswerisyes,wediscusshow.”Itisextremelyimportanttotalktoyourgynecologist,getallofthefactsrevolvingaroundyourspecific uterine fibroid tumors and review all of your options to help you decide the bestoutcomeforyourparticularsituation,futuredesiresandcurrentlifestyle.
Aboutthewriter:Kristy Theis is theMedical Content Editor for eMedicalMedia and is aDallas‐basedfreelancecommunicationswriter.The gynecologists and patients of the Women’s Specialists of Planocontributedtothisarticle.Visitthemonthewebatwww.obgynplano.com.