Answer
Uterine fibroids are the most common female pelvic tumor, affecting up to 30% of women. These non-cancerous tumors arise from smooth muscle cells within the uterus and can result in symptoms such as pelvic pain, pelvic pressure, urinary frequency, abdominal fullness, infertility and heavy menstrual bleeding. Fibroids can be microscopic or weigh several pounds. While it is unclear what causes them to form, we do know fibroids depend on estrogen to grow and are more common in African-American women.
Treatment options vary upon the severity of symptoms, a patient's age and medical history, as well as her desire to maintain fertility. Simple treatment options include monitoring with ultrasound, oral contraceptive pills or hormone injections to control fibroid growth. A myomectomy, or surgical removal of fibroids, can be performed hysteroscopically, larparoscopically or abdominally. In addition, uterine artery embolization (UAE), performed by an interventional radiologist, is designed to restrict the fibroid's blood supply. The benefit of UAE is avoidance of surgery, but long term results are unknown, as is the affect on future pregnancies.
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