BALTIMORE, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – More than 25 million American women, ages 15 to 50, have uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths in the uterus that can cause pain and abnormal bleeding. For some women, a hysterectomy – surgical removal of the uterus – is the best option. But now, a new laparoscopic procedure is shrinking fibroids and helping women avoid invasive surgery. ACESSA
Over the past few months, Tia Johnson’s life and health have taken a good turn. The mom of six is newly married and feeling great after years of struggling with discomfort and abnormal bleeding from a fibroid.
“It [the fibroid]was nine centimeters. I was told it was the size of a baby’s head. It was inside of my uterus, not on the outside,” Johnson emphasized.
Johnson’s doctor suggested a medication that would put her into menopause and decrease the fibroid, or a hysterectomy, which could mean up to eight weeks of recovery.
“I could not imagine having to take off work for any length of time to have that done,” Johnson explains.
Latasha Murphy, MD, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon at Mercy Medical Center, suggested a new procedure called ACESSA. Doctors operate laparoscopically through two tiny incisions in the abdomen.
Dr. Murphy says, “We can pinpoint exactly where in the uterus we want to treat, and that’s the fibroid and limit the treatment just to the fibroid itself.”
When the device heats up, it causes the tissue to soften.
“During the surgery, you can see the fibroids shrinking right before your eyes,” exclaims.
Johnson felt the difference almost immediately. As a bonus, fibroids can wreck a woman’s sex drive. With the fibroid gone…
“Everything came back. So, my husband’s happy,” Johnson mentions.
Dr. Murphy says the procedure can be repeated if necessary to treat any new fibroids that develop. Many health insurance companies do cover the ACESSA procedure although the patient co-pays may vary.
Contributors to this news report include Cyndy McGrath, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.usafibroidcenters.com/uterine-fibroid-treatment/acessa-procedure-vs-ufe/
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: ACESSA TREATMENT SHRINKS FIBROIDS
REPORT: MB #5119
BACKGROUND: Uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas, are growths made up of the muscle and connective tissue from the wall of the uterus. These growths are usually not cancerous (benign). Fibroids are actually a very common type of growth in your pelvis. Approximately 40 to 80 percent of people have fibroids. However, many people don’t experience any symptoms from their fibroids, so they don’t realize they have fibroids. This can happen when you have small fibroids — called asymptomatic because they don’t cause you to feel anything unusual. About 20 percent to 80 percent of women develop fibroids by the time they reach age 50. Fibroids are most common in women in their 40s and early 50s.
(Sources: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9130-uterine-fibroids
DIAGNOSING: Many women who have fibroids don’t have any symptoms. In those that do, symptoms can be influenced by the location, size, and number of fibroids. In women who have symptoms, the most common signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids include heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual periods lasting more than a week, pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination, difficulty emptying the bladder, constipation, and/or backache or leg pains. Uterine fibroids are frequently found incidentally during a routine pelvic exam. Your doctor may feel irregularities in the shape of your uterus, suggesting the presence of fibroids. If you have symptoms of uterine fibroids, your doctor may order an ultrasound or lab tests. If traditional ultrasound doesn’t provide enough information, your doctor may order other imaging studies, such as an MRI, hysterosonography, hysterosalpingography, or hysteroscopy.
(Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-fibroids/symptoms-causes/syc-20354288
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-fibroids/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354294)
NEW TREATMENT: Myovant Sciences (NYSE: MYOV) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved MYFEMBREE®, the first once-daily treatment for the management of heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids in premenopausal women, with a treatment duration of up to 24 months. “With MYFEMBREE, we can offer women with uterine fibroids a non-invasive treatment that provides clinically meaningful symptom relief for heavy menstrual bleeding with one pill, once-a-day,” said Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago, and LIBERTY Program Steering Committee Member. “The FDA approval of MYFEMBREE represents a significant milestone in expanding treatment options for uterine fibroids, a chronic and debilitating disease for many women in the U.S.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Dan Collins
(410) 332-97714
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
