Uterine fibroids affect every woman differently. And even though you need to work with a doctor to treat fibroids, the decision of how—or whether—to treat them is a personal one. In this section, you will learn about your treatment options and get a useful checklist of questions to ask your doctor. The more information you have, the better prepared you are to make decisions.
Should fibroids be treated?
Not all women who have fibroids get treatment. Why? If fibroids don't cause any problems in your day-to-day life, or if you don't have pain or excessive bleeding, treatment might not be necessary. Instead, your doctor may recommend more frequent exams to keep track of how fast the fibroids are growing.
Age is another reason why some women choose not to treat their fibroids. When a woman is at the end of her reproductive years and her body produces less estrogen, fibroids may shrink on their own. However, if fibroids are causing uncomfortable symptoms, significant uterine bleeding, or if fibroids are growing rapidly, treatment may be the best option at any age. In a small number of women, fibroids may affect fertility.
Setting goals for treatment
Before you and your doctor decide how and if to treat your fibroids, it is important to be clear on the goals and what you can expect from treatment.
Goals from medical therapy may include correcting excessive bleeding and anemia before surgery. Goals from surgical treatment may include relieving pain and other symptoms; removing uterine fibroids; and fertility.
For some women who have large fibroids or uncomfortable symptoms from fibroids, surgery may be the only option. Before making this decision with your doctor, you can learn about the variety of surgical options and other procedures available, and what to expect with each.
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