Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas or myomas, are noncancerous tumors made of muscle that can grow on your uterus. These growths are common in women and vary in size, shape and location. Symptoms include heavy periods, lower belly or back pain and feeling fullness or bloating. Fibroids can also cause a miscarriage or make it harder to have children. UCSF doctors have many ways to treat fibroids, including medication and surgery. The options you choose depend on your symptoms and whether you might want to have children in the future.
The first step is to try medications, such as birth control pills, NSAIDs and antifibrinolytic drugs, which reduce blood flow in the uterus and help with bleeding during menstruation. Other treatments may include uterine fibroid embolization, MRI-guided focused ultrasound surgery, radiofrequency ablation or hysterectomy.
We don’t know what causes uterine fibroids, but the female hormones estrogen and progesterone help them grow. They can grow on the surface of your uterus or inside your uterine wall, and they can be attached to the uterus by a stalk-like structure. Depending on the size and location of the fibroid, it can lead to different symptoms.
Larger fibroids can be removed by making small cuts in your stomach area, a type of surgery called laparoscopy or through the vagina or cervix. This requires anesthesia. Larger uterine fibroids are also sometimes broken up by a process called morcellation, in which they are injected with a device that slices the tissue. This is done in a surgical bag to reduce the risk of spreading any cancer cells that might be present.
There are also newer procedures, such as uterine artery embolization, in which tiny particles, the size of a sand grain, are injected into the arteries that supply your uterus with blood. Then X-rays are taken of your leg to show the arteries, and a catheter is used to select those that supply your uterus with blood. X-rays are then used to guide the catheter into the arteries, and the embolic agents are slowly injected. This prevents blood from flowing to your fibroids, which makes them shrink and die.자궁근종한의원
Some women have less-invasive fibroid treatments, such as oral therapy with a drug called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists or tranexamic acid, which decreases the amount of bleeding during menstruation. However, these medications are temporary and will not stop a fibroid from growing again.
Women who have completed their families can also choose to have a hysterectomy to permanently remove the uterus, which will eliminate any possible future pregnancies. Some surgical fibroid treatments can be combined with a myomectomy, allowing for future pregnancies to be delivered by C-section.자궁내막증한약
Alternative treatment claims, such as magnet therapy, black cohosh or herbal preparations, haven’t been proven to be effective in treating uterine fibroids. However, it’s normal for uterine fibroids to shrink or disappear after menopause, when your hormone levels decrease.