Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
We're talking about women's health issues this week on "Healthwatch." Millions of women have fibroid tumors - which are noncancerous growths in the uterus. For most women, these fibroids cause no symptoms, but about a quarter of women who have them suffer from heavy bleeding and pain.
A hysterectomy has been the only option for treating fibroids, and it's extremely effective for treating fibroid symptoms. However, now there's a new, less-invasive procedure called "uterine fibroid embolization." It shrinks the tumors so they're less likely to cause symptoms. Gynecologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center say this procedure offers an option to women who would prefer to keep their uterus. The recovery time is less than that for a hysterectomy, and the procedure only requires an overnight hospital stay.
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Feb. 2005
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