The facts about fibroids

Myomectomy may be the treatment of choice if you would still like to try to become pregnant. This operation involves the removal of the fibroids, while leaving the uterus intact. The procedure is performed either through an open incision in the abdomen (a laparotomy) or by laparoscopy. Your doctor will decide which procedure to use based on whether the fibroids are superficial or deep (which is too difficult for laparoscopy).

Open myomectomy is considered major surgery - it requires a lengthy recovery and can involve substantial blood loss. As with any surgery to the reproductive tract, this procedure may cause scar tissue that can impair fertility. Both types of myomectomies are performed under general anaesthesia.

Uterine artery embolisation is a radiological alternative to surgery that involves placing a catheter into an artery in the leg and guiding the catheter via X-rays to the arteries of the uterus; once the catheter gets there, the blood vessels that supply the fibroids are blocked off and the fibroids should rapidly diminish in size

New surgical techniques are also becoming available to treat fibroid-related bleeding, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) guided laser ablation and MRI guided focused ultrasound.

No surgical treatment, except hysterectomy, can guarantee that fibroids won't recur.