I am almost 54, have fibroids 8cm, heavy
bleeding for a couple of days and bloating
and growing abdomen, nothing else. Doctor
suggesting vaginal hesterectomy with
removal of ovaries and servix and doing
some repair. I don't have pain, just
little discomfort from the feeling of
fullness. I don't like to take hormones.
Any body out there had a case like mine
and opted to waite until after menopose?
They say fibroids will shrink after wards.
I am thinking if I wait a couple of years
then they'll shrink and I go menoposal
naturally without all the other possible
complications I read about.
Any one did that?
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juniper
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 65 Location: Southern California
Posted: 12-22-04 01:25am
My fibroids were too large and I was too
young to wait for menopause (a dozen in
all - largest was 11 cms). I had a
hysterectomy this summer, preserving my
cervix and ovaries.
There are other options besides
hysterectomy for fibroids. There is
myomectomy which is the surgical removal
of only the fibroid. It is often done
laproscopically - depending on the size,
position and type of fibroid. The other
method is through an abdominal incision -
it's more invasive, but they get a good
look at the abdomen that way.
There is also uterine fibroid embolization
- which is non-invasive but not always
successful and there is a long list of
side effects possible (and it's a rather
new treatment). It is performed by a
radiologist, not a gynecolgist, so many
doctors do not tell their patients about
it because they would not make money off
of the procedure.
There is also a very new ultrasound
treatment that uses sound waves to disrupt
the tumors and shrink them. It's
available in only limited areas, but
sounds very promising, especially if you
have no additional problems (prolapse,
bladder problems, bowel involvement).
I can see absolutely no reason why any
doctor would want to remove otherwise
healthy ovaries. Even after natural
menopause the ovaries emit lower levels of
protective hormones that aid in keeping
your circulatory system, bladder, vagina,
bones and sense of well being in good
health. Loss of ovaries and not using any
hrt brings a seven fold greater risk of
heart disease.
I think your instinct of waiting for
menopause is a good one as long as your
fibroids are not interfering with anything
else in your abdomen. There are also some
natural treatments that some women take -
including flax seed oil and oil of evening
primrose along with natural progesterone
cream to balance out the system. There
are some theories that ascribe fibroid
growth to overabundance of estrogen and
using progesterone cream can balance that
out. You might want to read up on that in
dr lee's books "what you doctor may not
have told you about menopause".
Take care.
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j-me
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 7 Location: holland,mi
Help Posted: 12-22-04 09:00am
I have some of the same ?'s ,i am 29 years
old and am having a partial hys.In a
couple weeks ,i guess they are not taking
my ovaries but everything else,i am also
an insulin dependant diabetic, I do not
want this surgery and dont know what to
expect(also they are cutting me open for
this)
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juniper
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 65 Location: Southern California
Posted: 12-22-04 11:18am
J-me - you might want to check out www.Hystersisters.Com,
a support forum for women going through
hysterectomy (before surgery and after).
There are a lot of really knowledgeable
women there and many who have had
hysterectomies as young as you as well as
dealing with diabetes.
