Fibroid symptoms

Doctor:
My wife is 45 and has Fibroids. She is adamante about not getting a Hysterectomy. Her Doctor is recommending Lupron shots or Novasure surgery. She is leaning towards the surgery. If you could possibly give us pros and cons considering these two options.
Thank You for your time,
Tom

Dear Tom-
Thank you for your posting.
We do not advocate either approach…as they do not appropriately treat the disease long term.
Lupron is a temporary fix that may slightly reduce the size of the tumors, but is not without major side effects and can only be taken in limited doses. It basically puts the woman in “chemical menopause” by turning off the estrogen production from the ovaries. Some women never completely recover..we would suggest you do further research on this drug. We do not use it in our program.
Novasure only treats your wife’s symptoms not the diease..you are destroying the endometrial lining to reduce or prevent her monthly period. This does not effect the ability of the fibroids to continue to grow and spread every month within her uterus.
Basically both are “bandaid” approaches.
We recommend removing the tumors and preserving the uterus.
Good luck

Dear Doctor:

I am almost 46 years old. My life has been complicated by the presence of multiple fibroid tumors for several years. During this time I’ve sought all the advice I can for the most conservative means of treatment. Lately I have been in so much discomfort (sharp pains in the abdomen, back and bowel, cramping in the legs, pain during intercourse). I know that my uterus and the surrounding organs are suffering from these abnormalities and that something needs to be done very soon.

With all this pain in my rectum as well as abdomen, my big concern is whether my problems are just fibroid related, or possibly complicated by colon tumors. My mother died at age 53 from colon cancer. My last doctor found that the largest of my fibroids is pressing on the colon. Two years ago I had a colonoscopy that was “normal” but he said there were some hemorrhoids detected. I want to avoid hysterectomy, but have been previously advised that other surgical procedures could do harm to the bowel–causing a whole other set of problems.

I’ve read all about the various treatment methods and although I have concerns about scarring and recurring tumors I like what I’m hearing so far from your website. Do you have any advice for my particular concerns?

Thanks so much for your time–

Lorman

Dear Lorman-
Thank you for your posting.
There is the possibility that your uterus has become so large that it may be producing your colon problems…however we would recommend another colonoscopy to verify that is the case. Regular followup with a family history of colon cancer is very important.
You may also have a condition known as adenomyosis, which is uterine endometriosis. This disease is associated with some of your symptoms and does produce an enlarged uterus that could press on your colon.
Our program would enable you to keep your uterus while removing the fibroids and possible adeno.
Please give my office a call to discuss your particular case.
Good luck