How to Treat Fibroid Tumors

Fibroid tumors are a very common concern of women, affecting mostly those over the age of 40. As many as 50 percent of women are affected. Although it is quite frequent, there are many remedies including medicinal, surgery and alternative treatments.

Hormone Therapy

One treatment option to reduce the size of fibroid tumors is hormone therapy. A doctor may prescribe an anti-estrogen hormone such as progesterone to help shrink or get rid of fibroid tumors. Fibroid tumors grow in response to estrogen, so the goal is to reduce the amount of estrogen in the body. However there are side effects to using progesterone. The side effects mimic the symptoms of menopause, such as sweating, mood swings, and osteoporosis. Once the progesterone treatment is stopped, the fibroids return because of the increase in estrogen levels. (www.fibroid101.com)

Non Invasive Surgery

Non invasive surgery consists of two options. The first option is ablation. A doctor inserts, either vaginally or through a tiny incision in the abdomen, an instrument that will use heat energy or electrical energy to reduce the size of the fibroids. The second type of non invasive surgery is called uterine artery embolization or UAE for short. During this surgery, a catheter is threaded through the groan into the main uterine artery. The doctor will search for the arteries that are supplying blood to the fibroids and the blood flow is blocked. With reduced blood flow to the tumors, fibroids will shrink. (www.women.webmd.com/uterine-fibroids/uterine-fibroids-surgery)

Invasive Surgery

Invasive surgery is the only guaranteed means of getting rid of fibroid tumors. The physician can chose to remove only the fibroids or the entire uterus. The removal of fibroids alone is called a myomectomy. The surgery can be done either vaginally or through an abdominal incision. Total removal of the uterus is a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy can be done vaginally, through an abdominal incision or through laparocscopy with several small incisions being made. (www.women.webmd.com/uterine-fibroids/uterine-fibroids-surgery )

.Alternative Treatments

Fibroid tumors may shrink if the body is brought to a normal alkaline state.If a woman's body is too acidic, fibroid tumors will not shrink and may even grow larger. One alternative treatment involves drinking apple cider vinegar in order to make the body more alkaline. This is done by drinking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar two to three times a day. Also, you can also squeeze a bit of lemon juice in the tablespoon. There are also herbs that a patient can take to help shrink or get rid of fibroid tumors. Some of these little known herbs are rhizoma cyperi, sargassum, and fructus corni. An alternative doctor would be able to recommend an appropriate dosage of these herbs .(www.thetole.org/AdenomyosisTreatmentCure.html)

For women who suffer from the pain of fibroid tumors, it is encouraging to know that there are treatment options. The doctor and the patient should be able to come up with a treatment plan based on each person's unique circumstances.