|
Uterine Fibroids are benign (noncancerous) growths that form in the muscular layer of the uterus.
Based on where they are within the uterus, fibroids can cause a number of symptoms. Depending on how severe your symptoms, fibroid treatment options range from none at all to surgery.
Fibroids are very common. Surgeons find them in 80 percent of women undergoing a hysterectomy.
African American women have a higher risk of fibroids.
Other risk factors include:
Consistent use of birth control pills seems to decrease a woman’s risk of getting fibroids. And, they tend to shrink after menopause.
To learn more about fibroid treatment options, visit the Fibroid Treatment Center at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
Or, contact the Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at 412-641-6412 to make an appointment.
The most common symptoms of fibroids include:
Less common symptoms include:
Doctors most often find fibroids during routine gynecologic pelvic exams.
If you are having some symptoms, your doctor may use an ultrasound to confirm a diagnosis. He or she may order other tests to learn more about the exact location of the fibroids.
These may include:
| If you have fibroids | Then |
|---|---|
| but no symptoms, or minor symptoms that do not bother you, | surgery is not necessary. |
| and very bothersome symptoms, | there are non-surgical and surgical treatments for fibroids. |
To learn more about fibroid treatment options, visit the Fibroid Treatment Center at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
Or, contact the Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at 412-641-6412 to make an appointment.
If your fibroids are not causing excessive bleeding, discomfort, or bladder problems, you don't need treatment.
For women with extreme fibroid symptoms, we offer non-surgical and surgical treatment options.
A class of medications that shrinks fibroids by shutting down the body’s production of female hormones.
Although Depo Lupron can greatly reduce the size of fibroids, it can cause unpleasant menopausal symptoms, such as:
- Night sweats
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal dryness
- Irritability
- Sleeping problems
Long-term use can also cause bone loss, so you should not take Depo Lupron longer than six to 12 months.
Doctors may prescribe one to two doses of Depo Lupron prior to surgery. This decreases the size of fibroids and makes surgery easier.
Oral contraceptives can help control heavy vaginal bleeding caused by fibroids. Unfortunately, they are not very useful in treating other symptoms of fibroids.
An IUD can decrease bleeding. However, this treatment option is only for fibroids that aren’t too big or are located outside the uterine cavity.
Read more about treatment options at Magee's Fibroid Treatment Center.
There are two types of surgical treatments for fibroids. Those that maintain the uterus and those that remove it.
Surgical options include:
| If you have fibroid surgery that | Then you're |
|---|---|
| maintains the uterus, | at risk of recurrence of the fibroids. |
| removes the uterus, | no longer able to have children. |
Read more about surgical options at the Fibroid Treatment Center at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
To learn more about fibroid treatment options, visit the Fibroid Treatment Center at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.
Or, contact the Center for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at 412-641-6412 to make an appointment.
Are you a new patient interested in a video visit with one of our fibroid center experts? Easily book your video visit through UPMC Magee-Womens Virtual Care Center.
Schedule a new patient video visit.Your health information, right at your fingertips. Select MyUPMC to access your UPMC health information. For patients of UPMC-affiliated doctors in Central Pa, select UPMC Central Pa Portal. Patients of UPMC Cole should select the UPMC Cole Connect Patient Portal.
The portal for all UPMC patients EXCEPT those in Central Pa.
The portal for UPMC patients in Central Pa.
The portal for UPMC Cole patients receiving inpatient care.
