Fibroid Removal

An estimated 25% to 30% of women of childbearing age have fibroids. These benign balls of muscle and fibrous tissue that develop in the uterus are the leading indication for hysterectomy, accounting for about one-third of the nearly 600,000 procedures performed annually in the U.S. Women who have not completed their families, however, may opt for a less invasive alternative. One such procedure is the myomectomy, which involves fibroid removal while leaving the uterus and ovaries intact. A laparoscopic myomectomy calls for the doctor to insert an optic device through the belly button to guide in the removal of fibroids through small incisions in the abdomen. This procedure is best suited for fibroids in the uterine wall and those outside it. Fibroids from inside the uterine cavity can also be removed without hysterectomy. Hysteroscopic myomectomy involves placement of another optic device – a hysteroscope – inside the uterus for resection of the fibroids with electric current. Both laparoscopic and hysteroscopic myomectomies are performed in women who have not been able to conceive because of uterine fibroids.

There are also other uterus-sparing procedures and medications now used successfully to treat gynecological problems that once would have called for a hysterectomy. If you have put off having treatment for fear of needing major surgery, check with your gynecologist to see if you now have other options. For a medical practice devoted to laparoscopic and hysteroscopic resection of uterine fibroids, reproductive endocrinology, infertility, and assisted reproductive technology, please call the OAK BROOK FERTILITY CENTER, where dreams are conceived and hopes delivered. New patients are welcome.

P.S. One of the chief advantages of laparoscopic/hysteroscopic myomectomy is that it may be performed on an outpatient basis.

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