Fibroids Surgery and Removal - Picture, Symptoms, Causes and Treatment of Fibroids

Fibroids are gristly, whitish, slow-growing, non-cancerous growths ('Ieiomyomas') in the wall of the womb are common in the late30s and early 40s and found in around one in four over-35s.Theycontain mostly muscle plus some fibrous tissue, are usually multiple, and sometimes protrude into the womb cavity or abdominal cavity. They can be as small as an orange pip or as large as a melon. They often enlarge in the two weeks before a period and in the years just before the menopause.

Fibroids can cause four other rare but important problems:

. A fibroid on a stalk may get stuck in the cervix, causing period pain and bleeding and pain during and after sex. This calls for surgical removal.

One in 1000 fibroids becomes cancerous.

. A fibroid may twist, cutting off its blood supply and causing a fever, nausea, severe pain and tenderness until it shrivels, becomes impregnated with calcium and forms a harmless 'womb stone'.

. In pregnancy a fibroid can break down and encourage miscarriage.

The good news is that fibroids nearly always shrink after the menopause;

. however if you take HRT they may not shrink as expected and may even enlarge (although this is unlikely).

What are the treatments for Fibroids

. A drug called tranexamic acid can help; this is an antifibrinolytic agent that reduces heavy bleeding by reducing the blood flow. Hormonal alternatives to reduce heavy bleeding include the progestogen-only Pill and the progestogen-releasing intrauterine system (which may even shrink fibroids).

. Small fibroids can be removed along with the womb lining during endometrial resection or ablation, done via a hysteroscope passed through the vagina.

. Larger fibroids can be 'shelled out' (myomectomy) either during keyhole surgery, using a laparoscope passed through the abdominal wall (suitable only for small fibroids on the inside of the womb), or during a laparotomy (open abdominal surgery done via a larger incision under a general anaesthetic).

You'll need about three or four weeks to recover after a laparoscopy, four to six weeks after a laparotomy. However, laparoscopy or laparotomy may be suitable only if you have one or two fibroids. Also, there's a risk of infection and of serious bleeding (sometimes so bad that a hysterectomy is needed). Up to 60 per cent of women develop strands of internal scar tissue (adhesions) that could cause pain and other problems. There's a risk the womb may rupture (especially with laparoscopy) and a one in three chance of fibroids regrowing.

Both operations can damage the bowel or bladder and reduce fertility.

Home Herbal remedies for fibroid

It's best to get personalized advice from a medical herbalist, although one possibility is to take two hormone-balancing herbs, Vitex agnus castus and false unicorn root, each morning. If, after two months, this hasn't helped, lady's mantle may be useful, as it helps counteract a high oestrogen level and reduce heavy bleeding. Other useful herbs for heavy bleeding include beet root and raspberry leaves.