Does fibroid removal always mean an hysterectomy?

Mrs Kamala Menon (38) had been married for 11 yrs. To her great disappointment her marriage had not been blessed with children. What’s more – every month she would suffer – her periods would continue for a long time and involve massive bleeding. Investigation revealed that Mrs. Menon had an abnormally large fibroid (11 cms) in size in her uterus. She was also severely anaemic with an HB count of 4. Under regular circumstances the fibroid would have to be removed surgically and in all likelihood the uterus would be removed too. This information was devastating to the patient. “Even though I was childless I always had the hope that the situation could change. With this diagnosis all my hopes were dashed!”, she said.

Radical New Therapy

In the West, interventional procedures are being taken up as alternative therapy for the removal of fibroids whereby the uterus is preserved. In India it is a relatively new procedure, adopted by select hospitals only. Mrs. Menon was referred to MIOT Hospitals by an infertility expert who had heard of the interventional procedures that were being undertaken by us in this area.Mrs. Menon was keen to avoid an hysterectomy with its physiological and psychological consequences, so she readily agreed to undergo the new procedure.

How it was done ?

First we introduced a catheter was introduced into the uterine artery. The flow of blood to the fibroid was blocked with embolising agents. The bleeding was arrested immediately. Starved of blood supply the fibroid would shrink in size gradually over a period of 3-6 months. After two months we repeated the Ultra Sound, In it the fibroid showed a 30 % reduction in size. Mrs. Menon now has normal periods and her HB counts have improved. “I thought an hysterectomy was certain!” said a beaming Mrs. Menon. “ I am really grateful to MIOT for this effective procedure. All the symptoms and discomforts of the fibroid have almost disappeared, and the best news is that I have a chance to conceive a child!”