Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during childbearing years. Also called leiomyomas (lie-o-my-O-muhs) or myomas, uterine fibroids aren’t associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer.

Fibroids range in size from seedlings, undetectable by the human eye, to bulky masses that can distort and enlarge the uterus. You can have a single fibroid or multiple ones. In severe cases, multiple fibroids can expand the uterus so much that it expands abdominal girth and can add weight.

Many women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives. But you might not know you have uterine fibroids because they often cause symptoms you don’t notice. Your doctor may discover fibroids incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound.

Up to 40% of women can have fibroids during their child-bearing age in certain ethnic groups.  In women who have symptoms, the most common signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids include:

• Heavy or painful menstrual bleeding
• Menstrual periods lasting more than a week, or often irregular
• Pelvic pressure or pain
• Frequent urination
• Difficulty emptying the bladder
• Abdominal Enlargement
• Backache or leg pains
• Lethargy (tiredness) from anemia (low red blood cells)

Rarely, a fibroid can cause acute pain when it outgrows its blood supply, and begins to die.

Pelvic Pain not Related to Fibroids

Some pelvic pain in mothers can be related to conditions other than fibroids.  Many of these patients are frustrated because they have seen many physicians and could not diagnose their disease.  A very tricky but common cause of pelvic pain is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome.  This condition is related to the pressure generated by enlarging fetus during a pregnancy and damages the valves in the venous system.  This results in the pooling of blood and pressure in the lower abdomen after prolonged standing.  This is common in 40% of mothers who struggles with finding a cure.

Our Treatment

We tailor a treatment plan to each of our patients.  We gather all of your clinical information and history during our initial consult and may collaborate with your gynecologist and internist.  We may ask for additional imaging to confirm and delineate your fibroid anatomy.  In most typical fibroid patients, Uterine Fibroid Embolization is the most beneficial treatment.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization

The procedure is elegant and nearly painless.  In an experts hands, it will take less than 30 minutes in most cases.  We inject and numb your upper thigh like a flu shot and painlessly access your vessels using a small needle and millimetre thin catheter.  While the patient can’t feel anything, the doctor will direct the catheter to the fibroids and inject material to block the fibroids.

Post Procedure Recovery

The patient will recover for 2 hours in our facility and return home with medications.  Our providers are reachable 24/7 through cell phone