The doctor may suspect fibroids based on a pelvic exam or a description of the patient’s symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis and measure the size of the growth, however, s/he will probably use a transvaginal ultrasound. Laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and hysterosalpingography are other diagnostic options. Endometrial biopsy and Dilation and Curettage are also options.
There is no medicine that can cure fibroids. Hormones can shrink them partially and temporarily, but if you stop taking the hormones the fibroids will come back. There are a few non-surgical procedures, but most serious fibroids require surgery. Some procedures can preserve fertility.
Surgery can destroy the fibroid, remove the fibroid, or remove the uterus. Obviously, the last is not an option if you want to get pregnant; in the worst cases, however, it may be the only option, as a fibroid may come back soon after it is removed.
Dilation and Curettage, hysteroscopy and laparoscopy can all be used for treatment as well as diagnosis. In these procedures, the same tools that are used to extract tissue or view internal structures can be used to surgically remove the fibroid. These are less invasive than hysterectomy and can preserve fertility. A myomectomy is an option if the fibroid isn’t in the uterine cavity. Endometrial ablation is a procedure that destroys the uterine lining, which leaves the patient infertile but the uterus intact. Uterine arterial embolization is a non-surgical procedure in which the blood supply feeding the fibroid is cut off. This procedure can also preserve fertility in some cases.
A laser surgery technique, still in an experimental stage, has also been shown to reduce fibroids without affecting fertility.
