Guest guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Don't let the gyno scare you!! You are young and need to find out more facts. How big are your fibroids? What kind are they and where are they located. A cantalope size is pretty big but have you had an Ultrasound? Look into myoectomy especially if you want to have kids. Just becuase you have fibroids doen't mean you need a hysterectomy although the docs sure know how to scare women. You don't sound like you have any symtoms either. Do not rush into anything. Keep researching and get that ultrasound. Ask more questions. Jen -- In uterinefibroids , " homieloverfriend19 " wrote: the gyno told me my uterus is the size of a canteloupe due to the 3 fibroids. I want to know other people's experiences. Do you think I will have to get a hysterectomy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Hi, Welcome to the board! There should be no reason you should need a hysterectomy at age 28 simply because you have fibroids. There are many ways to treat your fibroids (if that is even necessary since you said your only symptom is cramping). If you opt for surgery, as long as you use a skilled gynecologist who is experienced in myomectomies your uterus should be fine. Don't be afraid to ask your Dr. what his or her experience is with treating fibroids. The only possible thing I can think of that may happen, IF you opt for surgery, IF you wish to have children in the future and IF your uterine wall needs to be cut ALL the way through to remove any fibroids is that your Dr. may recommend a c/section to prevent the possibility of uterine rupture during childbirth. That being said, I had a c/section with my daughter and have had an abdominal myo and my Dr. still thinks I have an 80% chance of delivering naturally in the future. Good luck to you! This board is a great place to learn about fibroids & treatments as well as to share your fibroid related journey. ~Cindy Do you think I will have to get a hysterectomy? What are the risks of injuring the uterus by just removing the fibroids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 At 28, it's advisable to try and keep your fertility, which you'll probably want to do anyhow. I would therefore avoid a hysterectomy. The good news that in most cases there wouldn't be a need for a hysterectomy. You may have already read that there are various treatment alternatives out there, including, when appropriate, waiting *and monitoring,*. The myomectomy is definitely one of the options for your 'to consider' list. There are a few variations (access routes) on a theme with this operation that retains your fertility, all being well. The choice of approach will be influenced by the type, size and position of fibroids you have. If you choose UAE, research about it's suitability in the case of women wanting children, as you'll hear different things on this topic from different sources, on forums and books. There is a Yahoo embo forum, which is one place to look. The specialists performing these treatments are the most reliable sources of information on where things stand with UAE today and what is and isn't true. The gynaecologist will ask questions, perform a physical examination and recommend a treatment, based on the examination and any test results already through. Or they will arrange for an ultrasound test. There was also a female (nurse?) present in the room when I was examined. If you haven't had an external ultrasound yet, it's nothing to worry about, but you may want to drink the last of the water you're supposed to drink immediately before going in, rather than a long time before! If you're really undecided and feeling under pressure to make a big decision,just say you'd like to have a think about it, digest the news, and a chat to family/boyfriend and get back to them. After all, it IS a big decision and you don't want to change your mind and have to call them up again. You can get generalised information about what fibroids are from the internet and books. It's a good idea to use this interview to ask questions that need a specialist's expertise to answer about your case and their views, thinking and experience. WHY do they prefer this treatment for you and don't recommend that treatment? Do THEY do a lot of this type of operation? Have THEY often had to change a myo into a hysterectomy and do THEY often need to give transfusions due to blood loss? What post op problems crop up with that type of treatment? What did your test results tell them? Is your blood all fine? Is it just fibroids and no other gynaecological problems there? You can write down what they say in there, or certainly jot it down as soon as you get home. Do check web sites to make sure that you realise waht all possible fibroid symptoms are, in case you do have a symmptom you haven't connected to fibroids before. Also, just because a symptom is a typical fibroid symptom, doesn't mean it is caused by the fibroids. Another question you could possibly ask is, are my symptoms consistent with the position, size and type of my fibroids? Are other possible causes ruled out? You could think about that yourself too. There's so much useful information on the internet on medical conditions and symptoms to check against. Sometimes people have a treatment and still have one of their symptoms afterwards, which is disheartening, so it really is worth thinking about it. Women with large fibroids have gone with options other than hysterecomty with success on this forum. Sometimes drugs that shrink the fibroids are prescribed. These cannot be a permanent solution to fibroids though but are useful before surgery for some women. There might be side effects. What are the risks of injuring the uterus by just removing the fibroids?> They may well say that it's better that your fibroids are treated before you go through a pregnancy. With myomectomies, there's no guarantee you won't get fibroids again. Timing might be a consideration to ask about. There's also the possibility of needing a C section after a myo. You should go for an experienced surgeon etc. used to doing the type of procedure you opt for. How to establish that depends on where you are based. There are some very good websites and also books on fibroids. High street bookshops may only have acoupleof these titles on their shelves though, so if you can't get them locally easily, try online. Aztek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Actually I'll just amend what I said here. It depends...there are a lot of clinic sales pitch sites and they may therefore all give a one sided rose tinted view. I don't know who after-care would fall to (GP/gynaecologist/radiologist) and it may depend on where you live and who you have. Aztek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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