When a woman faces a medical condition that affects her uterus, the hollow, muscular
organ that holds and feeds a fertilized egg, the emotional impact can often be as
challenging as the physical. These conditions include, but are not limited to, cervical
and uterine cancers such as endometrial cancer, uterine fibroids, uterine prolapse,
excessive bleeding and endometriosis.
Treatment options are as varied as the conditions themselves, depending on individual
circumstances. A woman’s age, health history, surgical history and diagnosis
(benign or cancerous), all factor into the recommended course of action.
Endometriosis, also known as endometrial hyperplasia, is a condition in which the
endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, causing scarring, pain, and heavy bleeding.
It can often damaging the fallopian tubes and ovaries in the process. A common organic
cause of infertility, endometriosis can be treated with medications such as lupron
for endometriosis that lowers hormone levels and decreases endometrial growths.
While such medications often relieve associated symptoms, a patient should understand
the potential side effects before pursuing this treatment regimen.
For endometrial cancer, also known as uterine cancer and more common among women
after menopause, standard treatment options include hormone therapy, radiation therapy,
chemotherapy and hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus). Three of these —
radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hysterectomy — are also used to treat
cervical cancer.
For benign (non-cancerous) conditions like menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding),
non-surgical treatments like hormone therapy or minimally invasive ablative therapies
may offer relief. For fibroids, uterine-preserving myomectomy –
a surgical alternative to hysterectomy -- may be an option.
Hysterectomy
For most uterine conditions, if available non-surgical treatments fail to relieve
symptoms, many women choose a more certain result with elective hysterectomy. Each
year in the U.S. alone, doctors perform about 600,000 hysterectomies, making it
the second most common surgical procedure.1
While symptoms such as chronic pain and bleeding often point a woman and her doctor
toward hysterectomy as the preferred treatment choice, life-threatening conditions
such as cancer or uncontrollable bleeding in the uterus often necessitate a hysterectomy
and follow-up treatment.
While hysterectomy is relatively safe, always ask your doctor about all treatment
options, as well as their risks and benefits, to determine which approach is right
for you. And if hysterectomy is recommended or required, you owe it to yourself
to learn about da Vinci Hysterectomy,
a robot-assisted, minimally invasive surgery that for many women has potential as
the safest and most effective treatment available.
