Myomectomy for Fibroids
Most women living with the painful symptoms of fibroids – heavy bleeding, bleeding between periods and pain and feeling of fullness in the abdomen – want treatment that can relieve their symptoms. While hysterectomy is the treatment of choice for some women, others want to try other options before removing their uterus. Myomectomy may be a good option for women who want to try other surgical options.
A myomectomy for fibroids is the surgical removal of the fibroid tumors embedded in the uterine wall. Unlike hysterectomy, which removes the uterus, myomectomy removes the fibroid tumor while leaving the uterus intact. The uterus will be partially injured by the fibroid removal, but the surgeon will repair the area where the fibroid was removed. Most women who undergo myomectomy report relief from their symptoms of heavy bleeding and pelvic pressure.
Minimally Invasive Myomectomy
Just like minimally invasive hysterectomy, myomectomy can be performed without leaving a giant scar on your abdomen. Laparoscopic myomectomy requires only a small incision in or near your bellybutton. Then a laparoscope (a long, thin tube fitted with a camera) is inserted into your abdomen to find the fibroid.
Your surgeon will cut the fibroid into smaller pieces and remove it through the same small incision. Minimally invasive myomectomy means you will have less pain, blood loss and recovery time than a traditional surgery on which your abdomen is cut open.
Am I a Candidate for Myomectomy?
The size of your uterus and the size and location of your fibroid are the factors your surgeon will consider when determining is laparoscopic myomectomy is the right treatment for your fibroids. Myomectomy is often the surgical option for women who are interested in conceiving.
Fertility After Myomectomy
While most women pursue myomectomy surgery for symptom relief from fibroids, it is also possible that myomectomy can improve fertility. If fibroids have previously impaired your ability to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy, myomectomy may be the step that can help you conceive. Most surgeons recommend that women wait three months or more before attempting conception so that the uterus can heal enough to host a healthy pregnancy. The majority of women with fibroids who attempt to conceive after myomectomy (who do not have other infertility conditions) are able to get pregnant within one year.
Content Sponsored by: MIRI Women – The Minimally Invasive Reproductive Surgery Institute (MIRI) brings together highly skilled, board-certified specialists who are focused on women’s health. Our team of professionals is trained in advanced gynecology, specifically hysterectomy surgery. Philosophically, our partner physicians take a “less is more” approach to health care, by first treating patients with the most conservative therapies. MIRI focuses on physical healing, while emphasizing that a patient’s emotional well-being is just as important.
