What Non-Surgical Treatments are Available for Uterine Fibroid Tumors?

Question: What Non-Surgical Treatments are Available for Uterine Fibroid Tumors?

Answer: Historically, hysterectomy has been the preferred treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroid tumors. Fortunately, today women have a number of non-surgical choices for treating these benign tumors. Treatments for uterine fibroid tumors include:

Uterine Artery Embolization or UAE cuts the blood vessels that supply blood to uterine fibroid tumors. Most fibroid tumors shrink or disappear completely when the blood supply to the tumors ceases.

Focused ultrasound surgery is a procedure that uses high frequency sound waves to destroy uterine fibroid tumors. This treatment may not be the right one for women who have several uterine fibroid tumors or for women who have tumors of substantial size. Further, this is not a treatment option for women who want to get pregnant in the future. Women with uterine fibroid tumors who want to get pregnant should choose another option, such as UAE, a medical treatment, or no treatment. In most cases, women who have uterine fibroid tumors have normal pregnancies with uncomplicated deliveries.

See also:

Pharmaceutical Treatments for Uterine Fibroid Tumors
Surgical Treatments for Fibroids

_Source:

Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia; National Library of Medicine; Uterine Fibroid Tumors Treatment; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002090.htm; accessed 03/19/08.