Alternative Treatments for Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors occurring on the uterine walls of women. Fibroids start as small growths that later develop into the size of a grapefruit before the accompanying symptoms become visible, prompting the individual to seek medication. Fibroids are fairly common in women above 30 years old.

Certain fibroids don’t result in any serious symptoms. Nevertheless, depending on location, size, and severity, they might exert excessive pressure on the uterine structures and organs. Signs like abdominal pain, constipation, urinary difficulties, and backache might occur. The following are alternative options for the treatment of fibroids:

Laser Treatment

This form of treatment utilizes lasers to shrink uterine fibroids. During this procedure, four needles are passed through the skin into the fibroid location. MR imaging can also be utilized to guide the positioning of these needles. Laser fibers are then pushed into the needles and high-quality thermal energy is directed into the fibroids. This process comes with some side effects like skin burns and urinary tract infections. Women who underwent this treatment reported lighter and irregular periods afterwards.

Hormone Therapy

Although the exact cause of fibroids isn’t known, it is believed that when there’s an elevated level of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, the illness might develop. It is thought that fibroids naturally shrink after menopause since this is the period when the body has ceased producing estrogen. This is the basis of hormonal therapies for fibroids.

Synthetic and natural treatments are available for this kind of treatment. Smaller fibroids can diminish upon the rise of progesterone and the reduction of estrogen. Nonetheless, once the fibroids have attained a certain size, the reproductive hormones should be suppressed since at this point since high amounts of progesterone could lead to the growth of fibroids. While hormones exist in different forms like creams, gels, and pills, hormonal injections trigger faster reaction rates. Because it hasn’t yet been proved that hormonal imbalances are the major contributors to fibroids, this isn’t a common treatment.

MR (Magnetic Resonance) Focused Ultrasound Treatment

The only available non-surgical treatment for fibroids is the MR Guided Ultrasound. This procedure utilizes magnetic resonance imaging to establish the precise location and size of your fibroids. While the patient lies right before the machine, high intensity guided ultrasound waves target and damages the uterine fibroids without causing any destruction to the surrounding tissues. This procedure is perfect for patients since it’s an outpatient method that involves a shorter recovery time.

Oral Therapy

Vegetable-based substances referred to as indole-3-carbinol have been proven to yield significant outcomes in alleviating uterine fibroids. This drug is derived from cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. However, this over-the-counter medication hasn’t been approved yet. More research needs to be done to establish the effectiveness and safety of this form of treatment.

Herbal treatments for fibroids include:

• Vitex
• Wormwood
• Evening primrose
• Black cohosh
• Red clover

These herbs are often administered as compresses, herbal teas, and tinctures. They can also be utilized as essential oils, like in the case of primrose. Studies indicate that an eight-week treatment of green tea showed some considerable results in relieving the severity of fibroids. Nevertheless, herbal medications are similar to oral therapies since they don’t actually cure fibroids, but help in effectively controlling them.