Uterine fibroids are estimated to affect between 20 and 75% of women at some point in their lives. The variation in statistics originates from the difficulty in getting a good estimate. This is because fibroids can range in size from a minute seed that has not symptoms to a small basketball with debilitating symptoms and pain. While women who have the greater number of signs and symptoms will seek the advice and councel of their physicians other woman may not ever know of the presence of the small benign tumors growing in their uterus.

Embolization is one means of treatment for uterine fibroids tumors. This is a minimally invasive procedure during niche a physician uses an x-ray camera to guy in the delivery of small particles to the uterus and fibroids. These minute particles are injected, using a catheter, with the specific objective of blocking the arteries that provide blood flow to the tumor. This causes the fibroids to shrink and nearly 90% of women will experience relief.

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Most women anticipate several of the negative effects of undergoing a hysterectomy, including the loss of her ability to conceive and carry a child, the potential loss of hormonal balance if the ovaries are also taken and a significant six-week recovery time from the actual surgery. Unfortunately, there is another side effect from a hysterectomy that is not welcomed and often difficult to deal with. That side effect is weight gain.

In the normal course of aging each one of us continues to lose a portion of muscle mass. This lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest than does a pound of fat. The difference in the amount of lean muscle mass versus fat contributes to the decrease the number of calories required in order to continue to make the body work on a daily basis. This number is called the basal metabolic rate and describes the number of calories required in order to keep the heart, lungs, brain and remainder of the bodily organs working and functioning even while lying down in bed all day.

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Uterine fibroids affect between 30% and 75% of women who are between the ages of 30 and 50. The difference in statistics is the result of the severity of symptoms which may or may not bring a woman to her gynecologist for treatment. Symptoms which are common in women who have uterine fibroids include feelings of heaviness in the pelvic region, heavy menstrual bleeding, urinary tract symptoms and pain and discomfort. One option for treatment is an endometrial ablation.

In a study published in July 2006 In the Journal of Reproductive Medicine researchers published their findings and discovered that endometrial ablation is more cost-effective for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding than is oral contraceptives or hysterectomy.

The procedure, endometrial ablation, was first described in the literature in 1980 and used a hysterocopic view to perform the procedure. Using this procedure a surgical device is inserted through the vagina, the cervix and into the uterus. The procedure removes the lining of the uterus to help decrease menstrual flow or stop it completely. This lining is normally lost on a monthly basis during the menstrual period. The procedure does not require hospitalization and most women can return to normal activities within a day or two. The procedure is an alternative to hysterectomy.

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A hysterectomy is a serious surgery that is sometimes required in the course of treatment. It may be a recommended protocol for benign conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease or uterine fibroids, or it may be recommended for something as serious as cancer. Whether a full or partial hysterectomy, a woman will no longer be able to conceive and have children and it may induce premature menopause. Some studies have also shown that it can also trigger severe depression.

There are two primary types of hysterectomy. The first is a partial hysterectomy which generally involves the removal of the uterus only. This is the preferred method when it is an available option because it leaves the ovaries and hormonal balance and attacked. However, in the case of an aggressive cancer it is not an option left open to women.

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Many women will suffer from hot flashes whether her menopause was surgically induced, such as after a hysterectomy, or if menopause happens as a natural process. Research has found that women who have had a partial hysterectomy, when the ovaries were left intact, will experience menopause earlier than if they had not had a hysterectomy. Those who have their ovaries removed during surgery will experience a menopause immediately. Women who have had a hysterectomy will also more often experience hot flashes immediately after surgery but it will not necessarily indicate that they are in menopause. Taking out the uterus from the body will cause significant changes to take place that often trigger hot flashes.

Hot flashes are a sensation of intense heat, usually in the upper part of the body. Most women will also experience a rapid heartbeat, flushing of the chest and sometimes heavy sweating that can last between 30 seconds to five minutes. These hot flashes can occur any time of the day or night. Some women are awakened during the night and find that their bed sheets are completely saturated with sweat, while other women are unable to get through a business meaning without fanning themselves and turning red.

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A hysterectomy is the second most common surgery which women undergo each year. The easiest form of this surgery from which women may recover quickly is a laparoscopic hysterectomy. This is a relatively new procedure that physicians use to remove the uterus through a small incision made at the top of the vagina. In other words, it requires no open abdominal incision and no long recovery time. During a laparoscopic hysterectomy the doctor uses a small camera that is attached to a telescope inside the body to see the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.

One advantage of the procedure is that the incisions are small and the recovery is very quick. The hospital stay is usually around 1 day as opposed to an abdominal hysterectomy which requires 2 days in the hospital. Women who undergo laparascopic surgery will also be back to their normal activities within 2 weeks instead of the usual 6 weeks estimated for an abdominal hysterectomy.

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The side effects from uterine fibroids cause many women to suffer from pain and discomfort as well as other debilitating symptoms, keeping them from enjoying many social occasions. These are benign growths that happen in the uterus and can be microscopic in size or grow to the size of a small basketball. Symptoms include pain, discomfort, heavy bleeding, anemia, constipation, swollen abdomen and urinary tract issues. The symptoms, while not life-threatening, are very uncomfortable and many women also experienced decreased fertility when the fibroids distort the structure of the uterus or block the entrance to the Fallopian tubes.

Treatment for these fibroids has been limited to hysterectomies and endometrial ablation, both of which effectively terminate the ability of a woman to continue her family. Improvements in the surgical procedures have opened up several other options which may decrease the size and scarring caused by the fibroids.

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Fibroids are benign tumors that grow inside the uterus. They can grow inside the uterine wall, inside the uterine cavity or outside the uterus and attached to the outside wall. They happened most often in women who are in their 30s and 40s in these tumors are more commonly not cancerous.

Doctors will use physical examination, medical history, alters sound or hysterosalpingogram to confirm diagnosis, or the presence of uterine fibroids. Often times women know they are having these problems because of the symptoms which these fibroids cause. Women who have large fibroids will experience a heavy feeling in their pelvis which often leads to constipation or urinary frequency, women will also have difficulty with increased bleeding and a resulting anemia.

A myomectomy is the surgical removal of the fibroid tumor itself and is the preferred treatment for women who want to retain their uterus and their fertility. A larger tumor will require the use of an abdominal incision while smaller fibroids have been removed using a laparoscopic techniques or hysteroscopy.

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Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that are made up mostly of smooth muscle and fiber is connections. These types of tumors generally do not cause cancer or are not considered pre-cancerous. However, because they are dependent upon the hormone estrogen, any fibroid tumor found to be growing quickly or after menopause can signal a pre-cancerous state.

Uterine fibroids can be microscopic in size and cause absolutely no symptoms or become the size of a small basketball. As they grow larger the symptoms will disrupt the life of a woman and cause feelings of heaviness in the public region, urinary frequency, constipation, pain with sexual intercourse and heavy menstrual bleeding that often leads to anemia.

Physicians have several pharmaceutical options that are short-term alternatives in order to shrink fibroids before a more permanent surgical solution. These permanent solutions are usually endometrial ablation, uterine artery or uterine fibroids embolization, laser treatment and hysterectomy. However, most of these options do not retain the fertility for the woman or they cost a permanent loss of the uterus.

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Uterine fibroids can be the size of a microscopic seed or grow to the size of a small basketball. The good news is that these tumors are almost always benign. This means that they do not lead to cancer. The bad news is that researchers are still not sure of the complete impact they have all infertility. Researchers do know that fibroids which grow inside the uterine cavity have the greatest impact on fertility. And they know that symptoms of uterine fibroids can cause debilitating pain and discomfort as well as constipation, heavy periods, urinary tract disorders and anemia.

Approximately 75% of women are able to live with the symptoms of their uterine fibroids without too much difficulty. However, researchers estimate that the other 25% of women suffer with chronic low blood counts (anemia), intolerable pain, constipation and significant lifestyle changes brought about by their symptoms. These are the women who are searching for treatment for their fibroids that makes sense in their current lifestyles.

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