This article originally published on Hubpages on May 12, 2010. Uterine Fibroid Tumors | Plano, TX | Treatment of Uterine Cysts The doctors that make up the Women’s Specialists of Plano(972.379.2416) see their fair shareof uterine fibroidsweekly attheirNorthTexasOBGYNoffice.Uterinefibroidtumorsareoneofthe most common gynecological conditions affecting Americanwomen today—in fact, this year alone, almost 1 in 4 will bediagnosedwiththesebenignuterinetumors. Whilethemajorityofuterinefibroidtumorsarenon‐cancerous,thereistheincidenceofmalignancy (cancer) in about 1 in 10,000—making fibroids aworrisomediagnosisforthousandsofwomen.Not too long ago, most American women were sent down theroad of having a hysterectomy when diagnosed with uterinefibroids.IrecentlyinterviewedagroupofPlano,Texas‐basedgynecologists—aswellassomeoftheirpatients—andwaspleasantly surprised to learn that thereare in fact severaloptions forpatientssufferingfromuterinefibroids.Fibroidsaretumorsthatdevelopintheuterus,mostoften,affectingwomenovertheageof30and still in childbearingyears.They canbevery small, exist asoneor in groupings, canbesloworfastgrowing,andformany,symptomswillbealmostnon‐existent.Formanywomen,on‐going and at times continuous cramping, bloating, constipation, heavy bleeding and afeeling of pressure andpain in the uterus can exist. Forwomenwith a personal or familyhistory of cancer, knowing that these tumors exist within the uterus can be troublesomemakingthetreatmentofuterinecystsaveryimportantdecisionforthem.

When I met with Patricia, a patient of Dr.Murray Fox, a physician with the Women’sSpecialists of Plano practice, she describedsymptoms that sounded more like apregnancy than a uterine fibroid. Her non‐cancerous uterine tumors presentedthemselvesyearsearlierandovertimebegantogrowuntiltheendresultwasacantaloupesize tumor. With a growth so large, shedecided tohavea fullhysterectomybecauseonce the tumor was removed, much of heruterus would have to be removed with it.Since Patricia was past her child‐bearingyears, a hysterectomy was an acceptableroutetotake.

AccordingtoDr.JulesMonier,agynecologistwithWomen’sSpecialists,mostwomenwillbediagnosedintheearlierstagesthroughroutinepelvicexams.“Weareabletodiagnoseuterinefibroidsearlyoninmostcasesandmonitorthemwitheachpatient. During this time, conservative treatment of uterine cysts can be provided. It’simportantforwomentobecognitiveoftheirsymptomsandpayattentiontowhattheirbodyistellingthemsothatamoreaggressivetreatmentoptioncanbeconsideredifnecessary.Nowomanshouldbeexpectedtoenduretheharshersymptomsthatcancomealongwithuterinefibroids.”Theexact causesof fibroid tumorsareunknown.TheWomen’s SpecialistsofPlanoexpertsagreethattreatmentofuterinecystsisnotnecessarywithuterinefibroidsunlessatleastoneofthefollowingconditionsareoccurring:• Theuterinefibroidisgreaterinsizethana12‐weekpregnancy• Theuterinefibroid(s)isgrowing• Theuterinefibroid(s)iscausingbleeding• Theuterinefibroid(s)iscausingpain• Theuterinefibroid(s)isassociatedwithpregnancylossTreatmentoptionsavailable todayarevastlydifferent thanyearsago. “Beforeourpatientshave to consider a hysterectomy for their uterine fibroids, they do have other treatmentoptions, that in most cases, are successful. Uterine artery embolization andmyomectomyproceduresarehighlyeffective treatmentoptionsandaregenerally recommendedbeforeahysterectomy,”SaysDr.DarylGreebon,aPlano,Texas‐basedOBGYN.During a uterine artery embolization procedure, physicians use an x‐ray camera to injectsmall particles through a catheter directly aimed at the fibroid. These particles block thearteriesthatprovidebloodflowandessentiallycausethefibroidstoshrink.Amyomectomyisasurgicalprocedurewherethefibroidtumorsaresurgicallyremoved.Thisprocedurecanbedonewithanopen incisionorusingamoreminimally‐invasive techniquesuchastheroboticmyomectomy.Theroboticmethodreducesthesideeffectsofthesurgeryand overall recovery. A myomectomy, in general, is considered one of the only surgicaltreatmentoptionsthatpreservefertility.In theproceduresmentionedabove, a largemajorityofwomenexperience reliefwith theirsymptoms.RobinisanotherpatientofWomen’sSpecialistsIinterviewedandonewhohadadramaticallydifferentoutcomethanmyearliersubject. Shealsobattleduterinefibroidtumorssinceshewasinherlate20’sandbecauseshestilldesiredtohavechildren,sheoptedtohavearoboticmyomectomy.Dr.DennisEisenbergperformedthesurgeryroboticallyandtoday,sheremainssymptomfree fromher fibroid tumors. Although theriskof themreturningdoesexist; shehasnothadanyrealsignificantgrowthsorreoccurrences.

Dr. Murray Fox explains, “Uterine fibroid tumors can affect the quality of life. I have hadyoungwomenwhoareafraidtogototheirplacesofbusinessforfeartheywillsoakthroughtheir clothes due to heavy bleeding caused by fibroids, and others who have experiencedweight gain in the abdominal area because of fast growing and oversized tumors. ThequestionIgooverwithmypatientsfirstisshouldthefibroidtumorsbetreated?Iftheanswerisyes,wediscusshow.”Itisextremelyimportanttotalktoyourgynecologist,getallofthefactsrevolvingaroundyourspecific uterine fibroid tumors and review all of your options to help you decide the bestoutcomeforyourparticularsituation,futuredesiresandcurrentlifestyle.

Aboutthewriter:Kristy Theis is theMedical Content Editor for eMedicalMedia and is aDallas‐basedfreelancecommunicationswriter.The gynecologists and patients of the Women’s Specialists of Planocontributedtothisarticle.Visitthemonthewebatwww.obgynplano.com.