There are many different causes of infertility. For some women, the cause is a problem called fibroids. These are non-cancerous tumors which wreak havoc in the body and can cause fertility problems if present during the childbearing years. Fibroids affect four out of every five women and so are an issue of grave concern. Luckily, there is a new non-surgical treatment which might help with this problem.
In the past, a major form of treatment for fibroids has been the hysterectomy.
"More hysterectomies are done because of fibroids than any other problem of the uterus. For many women with fibroids, symptoms are minimal and require no treatment. Also, the fibroids often shrink after menopause. But fibroids can cause heavy bleeding or pain in some women." (source)
Women who do not want to undergo hysterectomies have to work with their doctors for alternative solutions. One of thsoe solutions may now be a form of focused ultrasound that can destroy the fibroid. However, it is unclear at this time whether this would be useful for women who are interested in having children; it may be something that is used only in post-childbearing years. More research will need to be done to determine the treatment's relation to resolving infertility.
Question of the Day: Would you get a hysterectomy to deal with fibroids?
