The Fibroid Battle: Surgical Options

Most women are quick to take up the options of surgery to get rid of fibroids. The assumption with most women is that surgery is a foolproof way of making sure that fibroid tumors are taken out. The reality of it is however far from this assumption. There are many factors that come along with surgery as an option for fibroid removal. Let us look at the surgical options available.

Hysterectomy

This is a surgical resection where ovaries may or may not be removed. An option of three routes that may be chosen i.e total removal of corpus and cervix, subtotal where the cervix is spared and oophorectomy & salpingectomy which in laymen terms simply means the removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes respectively. Hysterectomies are usually taken up as a last option because of the radical changes that have to take place. This is the most effective way of completely removing fibroids. As with anything that sounds this good the other side of the coin is not so rosy. The patient cannot conceive after this operation. Premature menopause will be experienced along with its symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia etc. Once you undergo this surgery you will have to commit to hormone replacement since the reproductive system will no longer be producing estrogen naturally.

With this procedure an incision is made on the bikini line and the fibroids are picked out. The biggest advantage here is that you can still preserve your reproductive organs because of the fact that only the fibroids are taken out. On the bad side there are issues such as slow post operative recovery, low fertility due to scarring as well as the possibility of having the fibroids grow back again. Less visible and smaller fibroids may be left in the tissue and will continue to grow after surgery. 

Laparoscopic Myomectomy

Here several small incisions are made rather than a single one. This is done as an outpatient operation and the post surgery recovery is better than after the abdominal myomectomy.   Only small fibroid tumors can be taken out and it cannot be done where there are several fibroids or if the fibroids are deeply embedded in the uterine wall. 

Hysteroscopic resection/ endometrial ablation

Targeted tissue is destroyed through a laser beam, radio frequency heat, hot saline solution, freezing or microwaves or electrodes. This is more effective for submucosal fibroids and is also performed as an outpatient procedure with an even shorter recovery period than the above procedures. Failure rates have been registered with this option because of the fibroids recurring. The formation of post-operative synachiae/adhesions  will result in low fertility.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE)

A radiologist performs this procedure by injecting a substance that blocks the blood supply arteries that feed the fibroid tumor. The substance injected will result in death of the tumors while sparing the uterine structures. All fibroids are treated simultaneously and the major symptoms of fibroids are significantly reduced. No incisions or general anesthesia is used and post surgery recovery is between 7-10 days. Post-embolization is a major disadvantage associated with this treatment. It includes acute/chronic pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, weakness and night sweats. Dead tissue may become infected and cause other issues in the reproductive organs. The embolization also has a chance to affect non targeted tissue and lead to those organs failing. There are still chances of fibroid regrowth and low fertility after treatment.

After looking at all these options I personally believe it is better to start the fibroid battle by using natural remedies. I have read of many women's testimonials where they have opted for surgery once or even twice only to have the growths back. These tumors say a lot about women's lifestyles and the changes that our bodies are calling for. Most times when faced with problems we are quick to look for solutions without first looking and the cause of the problem.

Be wise and change your lifestyle for better!

The battle with Fibroid Tumors

In the previous post I talked about how each and every day we are exposed to toxins. You probably have heard about this topic before or read other countless articles with the same message. So why am I still writing about a topic that has already been covered by others before me? Well personally I believe that there are countless ailments which we can avoid by knowing the toxins in our environment and by consciously avoiding any exposure and constantly detoxing our bodies. We can save our selves a lot of money and we can save our bodies a lot of damage or tampering from surgery . 

Now I mentioned that I was diagnosed with fibroid tumors in my previous post. After consulting with my OB gyn initially I was told that with fibroid tumors the only options available are medical hormonal treatment and surgery, whether intrusive or non-intrusive. Gonadropin-realising hormone agonists (GnRH agonists) is a medication which puts you in a temporary state of menopause, thereby shrinking the tumors. Now at twenty seven years old and just recently married I did not see this as an option for me. Even if I was past child bearing I would not consider shutting down my menstrual system before its own time. The other problem with this method is that the fibroid tumors return back after discontinuing the GnRH agonists. Other hormonal treatments available only assist with the excessive bleeding associated with fibroid tumors. In my case the OB gyn suggested a wait and watch approach while I took Minerva contraceptive pills because of my age and the fact that I have not yet conceived. He said it would be better not to tamper with my uterus through surgery so that I can have better chances of conceiving. While he meant well to suggest the wait and watch approach, I felt helpless and did not want these foreign objects taking over my precious female organs. I also felt that taking the contraceptive pills would only be a temporary relief to reduce the excessive bleeding. I needed something that could turn around the whole situation without further damaging my body. I felt that there had to be something else I could do rather than waiting and watching.

After doing my research on the tumors I learnt that though they were not cancerous they were the main cause of the extreme pain and discomfort I was experiencing with my menstruation. They also obstruct the fertilized egg from implanting and as such are among the causes of chemical pregnancies or miscarriage later on along the term of pregnancy. The position of the tumor can determine how and to what extent the fibroid will cause trouble for a woman.

I took my research further to see what was the main cause of these foreign bodies. Three factors have been discovered as the cause behind these growths. 

1) Genetic changes. Many fibroid tumors contain changes in genes that are different from those in normal uterine muscle cells. If you come from a generation of people who suffered with fibroids then you are most likely to have them

2) Hormones like estrogen and progesterone stimulate development of the uterine lining during each menstrual cycle in preparation for pregnancy. They have been linked to the growth of fibroid tumors. These tumors contain more estrogen and progesterone receptors than normal uterine muscle cells do. Fibroids tend to shrink after menopause due to a decrease in hormone production.

3) Emotional factors such as stress and other negative emotions also increase stress hormones that cause the body to damage itself.

4) Other actors. Substances that help the body maintain tissues, such as insulin-like growth factor, may affect fibroid growth. 

Now that I knew all of this information I felt a bit more empowered because I could avoid a lot of the factors that trigger this anomaly. In the next posts to come I will be discussing the steps I took and still am taking to have a healthy body and avert all the fibroid causing factors.

Embracing life, appreciating nature.

Have you ever wondered how many toxins your body is exposed to in a day? From the food you eat, the environment you live in, the products you use on your body or in your day to day chores, every single day you are being bombarded by toxins around you.

For some reason, we all seem to believe that if something is really bad for our health then we should be able to see a negative effect soon after exposure. That is a misconception in many people's minds. So many toxins build up in our bodies from childhood and only start taking effect in our adult lives. These are found in day to day products like toothpaste, body lotions, shampoo and also in our food. Yes you heard me right! Food in our day and age is not so trust worthily produced as it was centuries ago. There is a lot of focus on mass production and and profit making that manufacturers will not usually come out to say how toxic a product is if the toxic substance happens to cut  down on their manufacturing costs and allows the product to stay longer on the shelf.

We have become so trusting to our governments and to the manufacturer's word that we do not even think twice about buying a product if it was vetted by a quality assessing board or if the government allows the product into the country. I say it's better to be paranoid on the side of caution rather than to throw all caution to the wind.

It really dawned on me when I got diagnosed with fibroid tumors at such a young age that in the environment we live in today one cannot afford to live unconscious of all the toxic exposures. I quickly became an expert at spotting terms such as "methyl-paraben" or "butyl-paraben" on my cosmetics. The diagnosis also left me with a new appreciation of how a fiber rich diet would get rid of the inflammation in body as evidenced by the fibroid tumors. We all know, or have heard of how these toxic substances come into our bodies but unless or until something goes horribly wrong in our bodies we are not willing to change our lifestyles. 

I hope everyone can take control of their lifestyles and we can all enjoy all the beautiful things in life, as nature intended! Here is a link that can show you just how many toxins you are exposed to every day http://www.everydayexposures.com/