Fibroids

Women’s Pelvic Surgery, LLC

Urogynecologists located in Hackensack, NJ & Upper East Side, New York, NY

Approximately one-third of women develop fibroids in their lifetime. They’re usually not cancerous but can cause many unpleasant symptoms. At Women’s Pelvic Surgery of North Jersey, Dr. Khashayar Shakiba and Dr. Kateryna Kolesnikova has much experience in helping to shrink and remove fibroids with minimally invasive methods. If you live in Hackensack, New Jersey, or the surrounding area, call the office for a consultation or book one online to learn more about fibroid diagnosis and treatment.

Fibroids Q & A

What are uterine fibroids?

Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) growths which emerge beside or within your uterus. Fibroids can be a tiny as a pea or extremely large -- the size of a melon -- and occupy a significant portion of your pelvis. They’re made up of fibrous tissue and muscle and can grow in the muscle wall of the uterus, beneath the inner lining inside the uterus, or outside the uterus.

What are the symptoms of fibroids?

In many cases, fibroids don’t cause any symptoms. However, large or multiple fibroids can cause issues, including:

Irregular periods that are more frequent, heavier, or longer than usual
Abnormal vaginal bleeding
Infertility
Bloating and constipation
Urinary frequency and urgency as the fibroid presses against the bladder
Pelvic pain

The increased bleeding associated with fibroids can also cause you to suffer anemia, which may make you feel fatigued, appear pale, and suffer hair loss.

How are uterine fibroids treated?

If fibroids are small and causing no symptoms, pain, or irritation, Dr. Shakiba may monitor them with routine pelvic ultrasounds to make sure they don’t grow. Medications known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists block the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which contribute to fibroid development. These medications temporarily stop menstruation, so your fibroids shrink.

The gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists are only a short-term solution, however, because using them for more than three to six months can lead to bone loss. These medications are typically used before surgery to prevent excessive bleeding during the procedure and manage your symptoms.

Surgery for fibroids includes a myomectomy, which involves removing just the fibroids and not the entire uterus, or a hysterectomy, which involves removing the whole uterus. Regardless of the size of the fibroid, Dr. Shakiba performs the most minimally invasive approach for the removal of the fibroid to preserve your fertility and do the least damage to the endometrial cavity.

If you’re suffering from symptoms of uterine fibroids and need a physician you can trust for treatment or removal, call Women’s Pelvic Surgery of North Jersey, or click the button to set up an appointment online.

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