What are the symptoms of fibroids? Addressing your concerns immediately can save you years of future fibroid pain and infertility. Ask your doctor any and all questions. The more you know about fibroids, the better you can understand which fibroid treatment is right for you. To get in touch with the best fibroids doctor in Los Angeles, contact the Fibroid Treatment Collective to consult with Dr. McLucas.
When speaking with your doctor, you may want to begin by asking how, and why fibroids may be growing in your uterus. While each woman’s case is unique, your doctor may tell you that fibroids have been linked to increased estrogen, and for many women, fibroids begin during pregnancy, and before menopause. If your symptoms began around these times fibroids may be the cause.
Outline Your Fibroid Symptoms
Give your doctor an overview of your symptoms, in addition to asking any specific symptom related questions. If you are experiencing an unusually heavy menstrual cycle, ask about the differences between a very heavy period, and fibroid related bleeding. It may be difficult to tell for most women on their own, so be as thorough as possible when explaining your symptoms. Fibroid related bleeding usually results in large clots, chunks of tissue in the blood, the irregular intensity of flow, and a longer-lasting period.
If your stomach is enlarging unexpectedly, ask your doctor if it could be related to fibroid growth. Fibroids may be the cause if you have gained weight with no apparent dietary changes, are not pregnant, and are experiencing abdominal bloating. In some cases, fibroids have been known to press on organs and nerves, causing back and leg pain, and constipation, and urinary frequency.
Fibroid Treatment Options
After going over possible fibroid symptoms with your doctor, ask about your treatment. A hysterectomy and myomectomy are common surgical procedures that many women undergo to remove the uterus or fibroids. However, be sure to also ask your doctor about non-surgical fibroid treatments, which are often a preferable option for women who want children or are looking for an alternative to surgery.
Medical therapies, which include birth control pills, progestins, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), analogues, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs), and aromatase inhibitors have been used to treat fibroid symptoms, but have also shown side effects. If you are interested in medical therapy, it’s important to ask about the risks involved and how well they treat fibroids. For instance, progestins alone (oral, intramuscular, or intrauterine) may control bleeding by reducing endometrial hyperplasia, but their use will not result in tumor shrinkage and may, in fact, induce tumor growth.
Non-Surgical Fibroid Treatment
Ask your doctor about uterine fibroid embolization, another non-surgical option that has helped over 90% of patients experience relief from their symptoms and shown significant fibroid shrinkage. If you are interested in any of these fibroid treatment options, remember to be clear with your doctor about each of your symptoms as well as any concerns or treatment preferences you may have, to help you make an informed decision. To learn more about fibroid symptoms and to get in touch with the best fibroids doctor in Los Angeles, contact us at (888) 296-9422.