Treatment Options For Fibroids

You may have been diagnosed and wondering what your treatment options are for fibroids. Very often, you will hear the term "watchful waiting" uttered by doctors, which basically means doing nothing. This is because fibroids naturally shrink during the menopause. However, for many women, there comes a time when their fibroids are causing severe problems which are affecting their quality of life and quite rightly, they deserve some relief!

"Watchful waiting" is all very well if your symptoms are very mild or if you are close to the menopause. If neither of these apply though, you simply cannot be expected to live a life which is marred by fibroid symptoms.

Treatment options for fibroids can broadly be broken down into two categories-Conventional and Natural.

There is a school of thought which feels that conventional treatments focus much more on treating the symptoms of many conditions rather than getting to the root cause and eliminating them altogether. As far as fibroids are concerned, this certainly seems to apply, with an emphasis on treating all bodily organs individually. On the other hand, natural treatments tend to focus on the body as a total unified "whole", and recognises that the body must be restored into a state of balance for healing to take place.

Conventional Treatment

This can include surgery and/or drug treatment. Drug treatment can often take the form of birth control pills or anti-androgen pills. Metformin is sometimes prescribed, which improves the performance of insulin. Anti-inflammatory drugs are also sometimes prescribed to help with cramping pains. There is also a group of drugs called GnRH (Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormones). These will help to shrink fibroids dramatically, but are only suitable for short term use, due to their side effects and are normally only used prior to surgery. Another of the treatment options for fibroids is the IUD, or Coil. This will help to reduce heavy bleeding.

Of course, most drugs have some side effects, and this is very true of those which can be prescribed for fibroids.

Surgery is another of the treatment options for fibroids available.

A Myectomy will remove individual fibroids or groups of fibroids. Depending on the size and location of your fibroids, this will be done either through an abdominal incision or vaginally. Another method is to block the blood supply to the fibroids by injecting the vessels with plastic "beads", the theory being that the fibroids will shrivel and dry up. A procedure called "Endometrial Ablation" can also be used whereby heat is introduced into the womb. This effectively removes the womb lining and is unsuitable for women who may wish to have children.

Finally, in extreme cases, a hysterectomy may be recommended. This is major surgery and the loss of the womb can have both deep physical and mental side effects. It should therefore be avoided if at all possible.

The main drawback with conventional treatment options for fibroids that it focuses on treating the symptoms of fibroids and not the root causes. This means that although you might feel relief in the short term, the root causes are still there, meaning that your fibroids will regrow even after surgical removal.

Natural Treatment

This focuses on the fact that disease and illness cannot exists in a healthy, balanced body and so the emphasis is on looking at holistic methods. By building a strong immune system, cleansing the body of all unwanted toxins and pollutants, taking proper exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet, the internal balance can be quickly restored and certain diseases reversed, providing no permanent damage has been done. One of the most crucial things to remember though is that for natural treatment to work effectively, you must be prepared to make significant lifestyle and dietary changes.