According to research, uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas, can affect up to 70% of women at some point in their lives. Leiomyomas can occasionally result in infertility or incapacitation symptoms, including excessive bleeding, pelvic pain, frequent urination, low back pain, or pain during sexual activity.
In this article, we’ll examine the leiomyoma treatment choices that medical professionals offer patients and how you can get the assistance you require:
What Condition Is Myomectomy Used to Treat?
A myomectomy is a surgical treatment used to remove leiomyomas, often known as uterine fibroids. These typical noncancerous growths start as uterine growths. Uterine fibroids often develop during the reproductive years despite their potential to form at any age. Because they are so tiny, some fibroids might not show any symptoms. Others can be uncomfortable because they are big—roughly the size of a person’s fist. Symptomatic fibroids can produce painful periods, copious bleeding, or discomfort due to the pressure they place on the bladder and intestines.
Fibroid removal ought to assist in reducing pain, pressure, and heavy bleeding. Through a myomectomy, symptomatic fibroids can be removed while leaving the uterus intact, allowing a woman to maintain her monthly cycle and potentially become pregnant.
What Procedures Will the Doctor Perform for Myomectomy?
During a myomectomy procedure, physicians extract fibroids from the muscle tissue of the uterus while the individual is under general anesthesia. At times, women with larger fibroids may opt for medication before surgery to reduce their size, which facilitates their removal.
The myomectomy procedure chosen is based on the location and size of a woman’s fibroids. Here are some surgical options:
Abdominal Myomectomy
This procedure may be necessary if your fibroids are more significant than 4 inches, numerous, or deeply embedded in the uterus. You will be given general anesthesia to ensure you are not conscious during the procedure. A surgical cut is made in your lower abdomen to remove the fibroids.
Next, they will stitch your uterine muscle back together.
Hysteroscopic Myomectomy
If the fibroids are in the uterus lining, this treatment might help the doctor eliminate them. A hysteroscope, which looks like a camera, will be used by the doctor to see the fibroids. With the wire loop resectoscope, your doctor can use high-frequency electrical current to cut the fibroids free and remove them.
Laparoscopic Myomectomy
Your surgeon creates tiny incisions in your abdomen so they can remove the fibroids with instruments. To remove the fibroids through the other incisions they made, surgeons introduce a laparoscope into your stomach. While there is a lower risk of bleeding and the ability to remove both large and small fibroids, this procedure is more involved than an abdominal myomectomy.
Robotic-Assisted Myomectomy
For a laparoscopic myomectomy, known as a robotic-assisted myomectomy, the surgeon does the procedure while seated in front of a computer, using controls to steer surgical instruments attached to robotic arms to remove fibroids that are deep or many in the uterine wall.
Which Specialist Performs Myomectomy?
A gynecologic surgeon with expertise in fertility-preserving procedures usually performs a myomectomy, which is a surgical surgery intended to remove uterine fibroids. Because of their commitment to maintaining patients’ reproductive health and fertility as they undergo gynecological therapies, these professionals are often referred to as reproductive surgeons.
Bottom Line
If you are experiencing symptoms or leiomyomas affecting your daily life, your doctor may suggest myomectomy as a treatment option. Opting for a myomectomy instead of a hysterectomy may be the right choice if you want to have children, suspect that fibroids are affecting your fertility, or wish to keep your uterus.
Your healthcare professional will assess your symptoms and may recommend a myomectomy, a surgical procedure designed to remove uterine fibroids while protecting the uterus. This intervention, customized to your specific health requirements and reproductive aspirations, is designed to help ease your symptoms and enhance your quality of life.
For a more comprehensive insight into myomectomy and how it can help with uterine fibroids, it’s advisable to consult your family doctor or obstetrician for personalized advice and details.
Sources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/myomectomy/about/pac-20384710
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/15448-myomectomy
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/myomectomy-hysteroscopic-laparoscopic-abdominal
https://www.fibroid.com/treatments/myomectomy