1. Use Medicines to Reduce Pain and Stop Fibroid Growth
The two major symptoms associated with uterine fibroids are abnormal, heavy bleeding and pelvic pain and pressure. In many cases, medications can treat these troubling symptoms of fibroids. Pain medications, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, can reduce pain and pressure due to the presence of fibroids. In some cases, prescription painkillers can help. Hormonal medications also may treat fibroids. Birth control pills can reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, and gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRH agonists) can decrease fibroid size and lessen menstrual bleeding. Note that if you use medications to treat symptoms associated with fibroids, the symptoms can return once you stop taking the medication.
2. Remove the Fibroids With Surgery
As a fibroid treatment, doctors may recommend surgical procedures. In a myomectomy, doctors can remove uterine fibroids while leaving the uterus in place. This particular surgery is a good option for women with fibroids who still wish to become pregnant. Fibroids can recur following a myomectomy, however. A more radical surgical treatment for fibroids is a hysterectomy. In a hysterectomy, a doctor removes the woman's uterus and therefore the fibroids contained in the uterine wall. This surgery is a good option for women who have severe fibroid symptoms, such as heavy bleeding, or who have very large fibroids. Consider a hysterectomy only for women who no longer wish to conceive.
3. Consider Alternative Surgical Treatments
Several other surgical procedures can work to treat uterine fibroids. One such procedure, endometrial ablation, destroys the lining of the uterus. This will reduce the amount of bleeding associated with the menstrual cycle. Women can't conceive after this procedure, however. A doctor can also treat fibroids using a procedure called myolisis. In this procedure, an electrical current through a needle destroys the blood vessels that feed the fibroid. Destroying these blood vessels will help slow the growth, and possibly stop the growth of existing fibroids.
4. Cut off the Blood Supply
A relatively new treatment for fibroids, uterine fibroid embolization or uterine artery embolization, appears effective in treating fibroids. This procedure, usually performed by a radiologist, eliminates the blood supply to existing fibroids. In this procedure, a doctor inserts a catheter into the woman's leg and feeds the catheter towards the fibroid. The doctor then injects small particles through the catheter into the blood vessels feeding the fibroid. This then causes the fibroids to die and shrink, thereby lessening fibroid symptoms.
