There are minimally invasive-image guided procedures that American Endovascular affiliated physicians use to effectively treat uterine fibroids, Dr. Donikyan explains.
Can Uterine Fibroids Cause Excessive Menstrual Bleeding?
Uterine fibroids can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, not only during menstruation but at any time throughout the menstrual cycle. Fibroids are basically benign tumors that are rapidly growing and independently multiply their cells, so they don’t necessarily maintain the same sort of cycle as the menstrual cycle. Often there is heavy bleeding during the cycle. Women may be forced to stay home because they’re bleeding so much and it alters their way of life and their ability to even go to work. Fibroids can also cause breakthrough bleeding, which is in-between cycles and can last throughout the month, so it’s a very major problem for people who suffer from it.
How can Uterine Fibroid Embolization Help Alleviate Pain and Discomfort?
Uterine Artery Embolization shrinks the size of fibroids, effectively causing them to die by cutting off their independent blood supply. Embolizing the fibroids means they are no longer able to react to hormonal influences from the body, causing them to shrink in size. As they decrease in size, the pain and discomfort caused by compression on structures like nerves and organs adjacent to the uterus is alleviated. Controlling the size of fibroids through embolization is a very effective mechanism for dealing with those symptoms.
Can Uterine Fibroids Cause Lower Back Pain? If So, Can UFE Help with Back Pain?
Uterine fibroids can cause low back pain. There are a lot of nerves passing through the lower lumbar spine in the area of the mid-pelvis. When the uterus becomes big enough, secondary to the large fibroids that might be within it, those fibroids and the entire uterus can compress these nerves. This will mimic back pain, but it is really pain caused by the uterus compressing these nerves. By performing an embolization procedure, we can decrease the size of the uterus and the fibroids, so there is less compression on these nerves, which in turn, alleviates some of the back pain that is being experienced.
How Do I Know Which Uterine Fibroid Treatment is Right for Me?
There are multiple treatment options for uterine fibroids. At American Endovascular, we do a very thorough consultation with all of our patients to determine exactly which route would have the best outcome for each individual.
Request a consultation with Dr. Donikyan at your nearest American Endovascular center today.