Female representatives have to deal with many diseases of the reproductive organs. One of the common ailments is uterine fibroids. This is a neoplasm that is benign. It resembles a ball that has formed in the muscle layer of the uterus.
Who has uterine fibroids?
Most often, this disease is experienced by women after thirty years. Also, in some representatives of the weaker sex, already in menopause, small uterine fibroids are found.
Sometimes this ailment can appear in young girls of reproductive age.
How is myoma detected and why?
In most cases, small uterine fibroids are detected at the next examination with an ultrasound apparatus. In this case, for a woman, this diagnosis is unexpected.
Uterine fibroids dimensions in mm are different. Small nodes up to three centimeters do not give any symptoms. If a large tumor is detected, then, most likely, it is manifested by symptoms. In this case, uterine fibroids are measured in a slightly different way. The sizes in weeks that are used to diagnose pregnancy apply to this type of ailment.
Why such a tumor develops has not yet been precisely determined. However, it’s absolutely certain that uterine fibroids depend on female hormones.
Medical correction
In most cases, if the disease does not cause a woman any inconvenience, doctors choose a wait-and-see technique. They observe the development of the disease and already then decide whether to conduct treatment or not. Modern medicine says that this is wrong. Since the treatment of uterine fibroids is positive, the tumor should be corrected. Even the smallest nodes must be treated.
Depending on the size of the uterine myoma in weeks, the appropriate correction technique is selected. Consider modern methods of treating this disease.
Conservative means
If uterine fibroids do not have dimensions for the operation, the patient is offered treatment with medications.
Hemostatic drugs
In this case, such medicines as Tranexam, Dicinon and others are used. Their action is aimed at stopping the blood supply to the tumor. Thanks to these drugs, blood clots form in the vessels leading to the myoma. Blood stops flowing to the growing node, and it dies.
This method of treatment is used quite widely in cases where the patient often has heavy bleeding. When prescribing these drugs, contraindications must be taken into account. The main ones are vein disease and a tendency to form blood clots.
Hormone medications containing progesterone
With the help of artificial hormones, uterine fibroids can be treated. Feedback on the effectiveness of this method has recently varied greatly.
Many doctors believe that taking an additional dose of hormones can not only not stop the development of the formed nodes, but also provoke an increase in their growth. Other doctors adhere to this treatment technique and argue that it is effective.
For this correction, in most cases, drugs containing progesterone are prescribed, for example: Dufaston medicine, Utrozhestan candles and others.
The hormone secreted reduces the production of estrogen in the female body. In some cases, a woman may notice a complete cessation of menstruation. This is not a pathology. On the contrary, when there is a break in menstruation, we can assume that the maximum effect of the drug has been achieved.
Agonists
This treatment technique is usually used before surgery. The patient is prescribed certain hormones that inhibit the production of estrogen and androgen. Due to this, the power of the formed nodes is stopped.
It is worth noting that the duration of this correction is limited due to the frequent occurrence of side effects.
Surgical methods
If large uterine fibroids are detected, surgery is inevitable. Depending on where the nodes are located, and what size they are, an individual approach is chosen. Usually, surgery is indicated in cases where the myoma is more than two centimeters in size. Also, intense node growth can cause surgery.
Hysterectomy
This type of correction is selected if the uterine myoma has dimensions for surgery, and they are very large. The age of the patient and the presence of children are also taken into account. Removal of the uterine muscle, without exception, is carried out for women who are in menopause and having the prerequisites for the development of cancer cells.
Hysteroscopy
This method of correction is selected if the tumor is located in the mucous layer of the muscle. Also, this method of treatment is chosen when the uterine fibroids are small for surgery.
Hysteroscopy is performed under local or general anesthesia. It all depends on the medical institution. The patient should be under the supervision of doctors one day after surgery. If no complications are observed, then the woman is discharged.
During the procedure, the doctor using a special apparatus finds a node in the uterus and removes it.
Laparoscopy
This type of treatment is selected when a subserous uterine fibroid is detected . The size of the tumor in this case is of secondary importance. Such a tumor is located mainly on the outside of the uterine muscle. It is physically impossible to reach the node through the inside. That is why the doctor chooses laparoscopy.
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia. In the abdominal cavity of the patient, three incisions are made through which small manipulators are inserted. Seeing everything that happens on the screen, the doctor removes the resulting node.
After the procedure, the woman can be discharged the next day.
Laparotomy
This method is very outdated with the advent of laparoscopy. During this procedure, similar actions are performed, but the abdominal incision is larger.
Recovery from such an operation takes from two weeks to one month.
Alternative correction methods
In addition to conventional treatment regimens, an alternative correction may be performed. It is selected only in cases where uterine fibroids do not have dimensions for surgery. That is, a woman has found small nodes.
Blood flow immobilization
This method of treatment is quite unusual. It does not require anesthesia and in most cases is not very painful. However, if the patient wishes, local anesthesia can be performed.
During the procedure, a special catheter is inserted into the woman through the artery on the thigh. When the device reaches the uterine vessels that feed the tumor, the doctor performs manipulations that inhibit blood flow. Thrombosis occurs in the arteries, which subsequently leads to the formation of connective tissue in them.
The procedure should be carried out under the mandatory supervision of an x-ray machine. This is necessary in order to avoid a gross medical error, in which the wrong arteries will be processed.
After surgery, a woman can return to her usual lifestyle in just a few days.
FUZ ablation
This method is used when it is necessary to preserve the organ. If a woman has not yet given birth, then it is also worth giving preference to this technique.
The operation is carried out under the control of a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus. Anesthesia during the procedure is not required. A special ultrasound radiation is directed through the abdominal wall to the area of the uterus. It resembles the increase in the power of the sun's ray through a magnifying glass.
The device of magnetic resonance imaging allows you to control the correct direction of the beam and concentrate all its power on the resulting tumor. Also, the device monitors the maintenance of the required temperature and does not allow damage to neighboring healthy tissues and organs.
After the procedure, a woman can immediately go home. Due to the painlessness and safety of such treatment, the patient does not need hospitalization.
After treatment
If you have uterine fibroids detected by ultrasound, the photo of the node and its size must be saved. After the correction, you will be re-examined. As a result of which the doctor compares old indicators and new data.
If there is a decrease in the nodes or their complete disappearance, then we can assume that the maximum effect of the treatment is obtained.
Conclusion
If you have discovered this ailment, you need to start the correction as soon as possible. Check out what uterine fibroids are. Photo nodes you can see in this article. Discuss with the doctor all possible correction options and select the most suitable.
Watch the health of the reproductive organs and do not get sick!