PH
Women that are struggling with uterine fibroids might experience heavy menstruation blood loss, pelvic discomfort, back as well as leg discomforts and then a weird desire to consume clay.
Thousands of SA women are silently suffering the devastating symptoms of untreateduterine fibroids. These are muscular, non-cancerous tumours that develop in the walls of the uterus.
They most commonly, although not exclusively, develop in women in their 30s and 40s. Internationally, 20% of women have fibroids although interventional radiologist Dr Gary Sudwarts believes that this number is higher in South Africa.
Dr Sudwarts, who practises at Netcare Park Lane Hospital in Johannesburg, as well as UCT Private Academic Hospital in Cape Town, has set himself the goal of raising awareness of the condition, which he believes warrants much greater attention and awareness than it currently receives.
The symptoms include:
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Pelvic pain
- Back and leg pains
- Pain during sex
- Feelings of exhaustion
- Even a strange urge to eat clay
The desire to consume earth or clay is an attempt to replenish the low iron levels caused by heavy menstrual bleeding.
“I find it disconcerting that in today’s times so many South African women are still silently suffering the devastating symptoms of untreated uterine fibroids,” said Dr Sudwarts. “It is also concerning that so many thousands of women in our country, some relatively young, are faced with the prospect of a hysterectomy because of the condition.”
Dr Sudwarts indicated that more and more effective treatment options are becoming available for women with severe uterine fibroids, and it is important that they be made aware of the alternatives that are now available to them.
“Essentially, when symptomatic therapy fails, there are three main surgical options available to treat fibroids and the choice of which to opt for will be influenced by the type, number, location and size of the fibroids present,” he explained.
In some cases a myomectomy, which is a procedure in which the fibroids are removed during open surgery, is indicated. Alternatively, a hysterectomy, where the uterus is removed, may be recommended.
“The latest alternative, which is becoming an increasingly popular choice among those women for whom the procedure is a viable treatment, is uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE). This non-invasive procedure has a much lower rate of complications, is less painful with a considerably shorter recovery time compared with either myomectomy or hysterectomy,” said Dr Sudwarts.
