Myomas - targeted treatment of growths in the uterus

Cause of diffuse abdominal pain

Only around a quarter of women affected by a fibroid have symptoms. These usually manifest themselves in the following symptoms:

• Bleeding disorders and the resulting anaemia; menstrual cycle disorders,
  Constipation or increased urge to urinate
• Abdominal pain when the fibroid grows or twists. The pain can affect the abdomen, lower abdomen, rectum and bladder
• Infertility and complications during pregnancy and childbirth

We are happy to be there for you in our myoma consultation and will take the time to clarify your symptoms.

Is a fibroid dangerous?

Fibroids can often be detected during an ultrasound scan as part of a routine gynaecological examination. Their size and position can be precisely determined, which provides information about the resulting symptoms.

Even if a fibroid is not dangerous, it can still cause severe pain. In many cases, long-term treatment, which in most cases involves the removal of the fibroid, is also necessary if you wish to have children.

Recognising and treating fibroids individually

Surgical removal of the fibroid

The larger a fibroid is, the more extensive the operation to remove it. It is therefore important that women suffering from abdominal pain or an unfulfilled desire to have children contact our specialists as soon as possible. In this way, the operation can be performed under the best possible conditions and with the greatest possible care.

Today, minimally invasive surgical techniques are used to remove fibroids. The fibroid is removed through a uterine or abdominal endoscopy. This means that patients experience little pain, recover quickly from the procedure and do not suffer any major scars. Bethesda Hospital has a great deal of expertise in the field of modern, gentle surgical procedures and is one of the top addresses for such operations in north-west Switzerland.

Hormonal treatment of fibroids

In the case of very heavy menstrual bleeding caused by a fibroid, this can be reduced by hormone therapy. This usually has no direct effect on the fibroid, but can sometimes significantly improve the symptoms caused by it. However, this therapy is only suitable for women who no longer wish to have children and is mostly used in older women shortly before the menopause.

Other treatment options for fibroids

• Sonata® treatment: This new form of therapy is currently only carried out at specialised centres. The Clinic for Gynaecology at Bethesda Hospital is currently the only centre in north-western Switzerland to offer it. In Sonata® treatment, the fibroid is heated in the operating theatre under ultrasound guidance using a special device, causing it to shrink. This procedure is known as radiofrequency ablation or Sonata® therapy and is currently regarded as the gentlest method of treating fibroids surgically.
  
• Myoma embolisation: In this therapy, the blood vessels that supply the myoma are sealed ("embolised"). This is done using small beads that are inserted via a catheter through the inguinal artery. This causes the fibroid to die.

Every third woman

Only women of reproductive age are affected by this disease: Around 30 to 50 per cent of them develop a fibroid during their reproductive years. One in three women between the ages of 30 and 40 has a fibroid in her uterus.