Fibroid removal or hysterectomy?

[MrsAMerrick]

I have been suffering from horrendous periods for 4 years now. Nothing has helped- I've tried the Mirena, Tranexamic Acid, noresthisterone etc etc. Have eventually secured hospital referral, had a hysterscopy and ultrasound and bottom line is I have fibroids in my womb lining, plus one in my uterus.

I saw the consultant again who has offered me two options. She feels the fibroid inside my uterus is causing the probkem, so I could have thst removed. Alternatively, I could have a hysterectomy ( which will have to be done the traditional way, as apparently I'm not suitable for keyhole surgery).

I would rather not have the hysterectomy if possible. However, it would guarantee an end to periods. The fibroid removal may not sort the problem out. Given that everything else I've tried has failed, I'm not that optimistic about the chances of it working. if it didn't work then I could still have a hysterectomy, but that would mean two ops with GA in space of a year.

I'm 47, my dm had periods until 55 and I know I can't face another 8 months of this, let alone 8 years! Has anyone had a fibroid removed and did it sort things out?

I had 4 big fibroids removed and sprouted new ones. One was 16cms. Would your ovaries be left intact? I was ttc so didn't have a choice then.
You should take the advice of your consultant though, not us strangers who don't know anything about your medical history.

Hi, the consultant wouldn't advise either way but said it was up to me to chose which option. I am tempted to go for the fibroid removal as I dont like the idea of a hysterectomy, but want get a sense of how likely it is to sort it. I did push her for a ball park figure, eg if it sorted it for 90% of women tgen I'd take it, if it was 60% I 'd be less likely to. But she wouldn't be drawn, said it was my decision. If i have the hysterectomy, my ovaries will be left intact, and the incision will be along my caesarean scar. She said I'll need 6 months of hormone treatment prior to the hysterectomy and then Ill need at least 12 weeks off work afterwards!

When I was offered tho Mirena by my GP she said it made periods lighter for 90% of women so I went for it on that basis, unfortunately I was in the other 10% but it was worth a try. I just don't have a sense of how likely the fibroid removal us to work. They won't remove the fibroids in my womb lining.

I'm supposed to contact the hospital next week to let them know which option I'm going for, and I'm really undecided. I'm just interested to hear other peoples experiences.

Hi there- did you post about this a while back?
No personal experience but have a friend who had it done for same reasons. Not a huge amount of difference but she went into meno soon afterwards.

Do you know how big the fibroid is?
Have they suggested an ablation? Might that work with fibroids?
Have they suggested the oral contraceptive as an option to make your periods lighter? It can be given now to healthy women up to the age of 50.

I think if I were you I might ask for another referral to another gynae simply because a consultant should be able to give you stats on the success of the op- can't see why she won't-( you might find out for yourself if you google it) and you really need someone who is willing to advise you rather than leave it up to you.

Hi Vari, no I haven't posted about this dilemma before as I have only just had the appointment with the hospital. I have posted about heavy periods before though (and am forever grateful to the MNer who told me about orange-packet Lillet tampons!).

The fibroid itself is quite small and I did query with the Dr whether something less than 7cms long could be causing the excessive bleeding I have, but she said she thought it was the most likely reason. Some rough guides to percentages and outcomes would be good. Like you, I can't see why she couldn't say but I guess everyone is different. She said endometrial ablation wouldn't work in this case as it wouldn't be able to remove all the fibroid.

So I am faced with choice between smaller operation, few days off work, but unknown chances of it working, versus major abdominal surgery, lots of time off work, but guarantee it will sort it out. And I really don't know which to do! I have tried googling to see what other people's experiences of fibroid removal have been but there are very mixed reports.

My friend's fibroid was the size of a grapefruit But 7cms is still quite big considering the size of the uterus and it will also depend on the depth of it, not just the length/width.

She had to have hormone injections for a while before the op, to shrink it.
It's a shame that meds and the Mirena didn't work for you isn't it.

Would your GP be happy to refer you for a 2nd opinion with another gynae? You are entitled to this.

If I had to choose 1 of your options I'd try the fibroid removal first.

There will be papers on the web about this operation and success rates perhaps in the BMJ so maybe have a look?

At one time I would have said have the fibroid removed. However, having been through a failed myomectomy, failed endometrial ablation and failed hormone treatment I wish I had had the hysterectomy 4 years ago instead of the ablation that I foolishly chose at that point.

I have seen my gynaecologist today and have had a biopsy for endometrial cancer - fibroids are very small, but my uterus is the size of a 14-16 week pregnancy. I can't have a hysterectomy at the moment because I am about to start a new contract with work so will again have to put it off.

What I'm saying is, get it done now because for sure you're going to end up with it eventually, it's final and will resolve your problems.

carabos, so sorry to hear you had a tough time. I was veering toward the fibroid removal, thinking that if it didn't work I could then have the hysterectomy, but I'm really not sure. can I ask if it was obvious straight away that it hadn't worked? I'm assuming that if the first period I have after fibroid removal is as horrendous as ever, then it hasn't worked. Was that you experience or were you told that you had to wait and see for a few months? I've got several fibroids but only one is inside the uterus, and they are only removing that one.
I really hope you get sorted out quickly, 4 years is a long time to put up with this. It's now been three years for me since I first went to the GP for help, and I'm feeling very fed up.

I had a hysterectomy to remove my massive fibroid back in September. My periods were horrendous, was permanently anaemic. It took me years to get to the point of having it done but nothing else worked for me (didn't have them removed but did have the embolism procedure).

I have no regrets, life without periods is wonderful. Feel like I have totally recovered and I just wish I had done it sooner. Hysterectomy does seem a big step but my experience of it has been positive.