Fibroid is the general name for the benign tumours that arise in the smooth muscles of the uterine wall. Fibroids, a quite common problem among women, can lead to serious problems as long as they are not kept under control.
It is known that fibroids cause irregular bleeding, painful periods, infertility and miscarriage. For this reason it is advised especially for women who want to become pregnant to have a gynaecological examination before pregnancy.
Within the first 5 years…
In the treatment of fibroids the definitive solution is most often surgery. In some situations it is also observed that the fibroid disappears on its own.
Because the problem of fibroids is related to hormones, it is possible for fibroids that appear during pregnancy to disappear after pregnancy, and for fibroids to shrink and disappear on their own in women entering the menopause.
However, apart from these situations, the most definitive solution in the treatment of fibroids is surgery. Because fibroids form in the smooth muscles in the uterine wall, there is a possibility that fibroid formations recur after the operation.
In women who have had a fibroid operation, the probability of new fibroids forming within the first five years is around 15%. In fibroid operations it is possible to use both open and closed techniques. Open fibroid operations are called laparotomy. This technique can be preferred in situations where the diameter of the fibroid is very large or the number of fibroids is very high. Although the probability of fibroids turning into malignant tumours is 0.2%, the open surgical technique is also used in fibroids in which cancer is suspected.
The two techniques in modern fibroid surgery today:
Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgery
The widespread fibroid operation technique is laparoscopic and robotic surgery, also known as the closed technique. With these methods the fibroids can be removed with the help of special instruments through a few small holes, without making a large incision in the abdomen. After fibroid operations performed with both the laparoscopic and the robotic method, patients feel much less pain and return to daily life more quickly.
In robotic surgery, in addition to the advantages of laparoscopy, a better sense of depth makes it easier to remove difficult fibroids. In recent years these operations can also be used to remove fibroids of large size.
It is a quite effective and easy method especially for removing fibroids that are not very large. Hysteroscopic myomectomy is also a technique used to remove submucosal fibroids (in the innermost layer of the uterus).
It offers a definitive solution to the fibroid problem
Although the operation is performed under general anaesthesia, no incision is made and the fibroids can be removed through the vagina. For this, the fibroid must have arisen beneath the inner layer of the uterus (the submucosal type) and grown towards the vagina.
Removal of the uterus in the surgical treatment of fibroids
The surgical technique called hysterectomy, known as the removal of the uterus, although quite frightening for women, offers a definitive solution to the fibroid problem. Hysterectomy is a technique preferred in women who do not want to have children or who are in the menopausal period.
However, it is applied selectively in older patients whose fibroids cover the entire uterus and who do not wish to have children. Although removing the uterus is not a necessity in the treatment of fibroids, this method can be preferred in patients who carry a risk of cancer. But we would like to state once again that it is not a routine surgical approach.