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'Morning-After' Pill May Be New Option to Treat Painful Fibroids
Posted 2 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 – The morning-after pill may help shrink painful fibroids and relieve excessive bleeding, new research indicates. Fibroids are benign tumors that form on the wall of a woman's uterus; as many as 80 percent of all women may have fibroids. Many cause no symptoms, but one in four women experiences symptoms that are severe enough to require treatment, according to the National Uterine Fibroids Foundation. Symptoms may include heavy periods, anemia, bloating, constipation, infertility and miscarriage. Treatment may involve surgery to remove the uterus and/or hormone treatments such as Lupron (leuprolide) or oral contraceptives. Now, two new studies in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that the 'morning-after' pill Ella (ulipristal) works just as well as Lupron in treating fibroid-linked uterine bleeding, with less risk of hot flashes. The new studies were funded ... Read more
Related support groups: Lupron, Lupron Depot, Lupron Depot 3.75 mg, Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids, Eligard, Leuprolide, Lupron Depot-PED, Viadur, ella, Ulipristal, Lupron Depot 11.25 mg, Lupron Depot-Gyn
Uterine Fibroids Cost Billions in U.S. Health Care, Lost Work: Report
Posted 20 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Dec. 20 – Uterine fibroids are a significant economic drain on the U.S. health care system, costing anywhere from $5.9 billion to $34.4 billion a year, according to a new report. The costs come largely from lost work and disability but also include medical treatment as well as obstetric complications, said the report, which appears in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "Fibroids are one of the most costly conditions even at the lower limit of $5.1 billion, which is a considerable expense," said study senior author Dr. James Segars. According to Segars, who is head of the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility unit at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, uterine fibroids are one of the most common reproductive disorders in women, affecting about half of women before they reach menopause. Fibroids – which are ... Read more
Related support groups: Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids
Uterine Fibroid Treatments Seem to Boost Quality of Life
Posted 1 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 1 – For women with uterine fibroids, three treatments have been found to relieve symptoms and result in major improvements in quality of life, according to a new study. Up to 20 percent of women in their childbearing years develop uterine fibroids, which are benign pelvic tumors. Not all fibroids cause symptoms, but some patients experience heavy bleeding, pain and infertility, according to background information in the study, which is slated for publication in the May issue of the journal Radiology. The researchers looked at three treatment options: hysterectomy; minimally invasive uterine artery embolization (UAE); and a noninvasive magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) procedure, which, unlike regular ultrasounds, which uses high doses of focused ultrasound waves guided by MR images to destroy tissue – in this case, uterine fibroids. The study ... Read more
Related support groups: Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids
Drug May Shrink Fibroids, Preserve Fertility
Posted 1 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 1 – Preliminary research suggests that a new drug treatment shrinks uterine fibroids and helps women with the non-cancerous tumors retain their fertility. Uterine fibroids, which cause abdominal pain and heavy menstrual bleeding, are a leading cause of hysterectomy. They can also contribute to miscarriage. "Both the fibroids and the surgical interventions commonly used to treat them can cause significant fertility problems," Dr. Alicia Armstrong, chief of gynecologic services at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Program for Reproductive and Adult Endocrinology, said in a news release. In two new studies, researchers tested a drug called ulipristal acetate (also known as ellaOne), which blocks ovulation and is used as a form of emergency contraception. It works by adjusting the body's reaction to the hormone progesterone. In the studies, 57 women aged 25-50 with ... Read more
Related support groups: Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids
A New Way to Zap Away Uterine Fibroids
Posted 16 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 16 – Focused ultrasound is an effective way to get rid of uterine fibroids, the noncancerous but troublesome tumors that can grow inside the uterus, new research shows. Uterine fibroids are a common condition that can lead to a host of problems, including prolonged, heavy menstrual bleeding that can be severe enough to cause anemia or require blood transfusion; severe pelvic pain and pressure; urinary frequency; pain during intercourse; problems with becoming pregnant, miscarriage and complications during pregnancy. About 20 percent to 40 percent of women aged 35 and older have uterine fibroids. The problem is even more common among black women, about half of whom have fibroids, according to background information in the study. There are several treatment options for fibroids, ranging from taking birth control pills to getting a hysterectomy. More recently, other ... Read more
Related support groups: Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids
Fibroids May Raise Risk of Stillbirth
Posted 8 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Feb. 6 – Women who have uterine fibroids are at increased risk for stillbirth, a new study finds. "Fibroids are very common. We think they occur in 5 percent to 20 percent of all women, but most women are asymptomatic and don't even know they have them," study co-author Dr. Molly Stout, of Washington University in St. Louis, said in a news release. She and her colleagues analyzed data from 64,047 women and found that 3.2 percent (2,058) of them had fibroids – muscular tumors in the wall of the uterus that are usually benign. The incidence of stillbirth among those with fibroids was 1.6 percent, compared to 0.7 percent for women without fibroids. The increased risk persisted even after the researchers adjusted for risk factors such as black race, tobacco exposure, chronic hypertension and pregestational diabetes. "Our results showed that women with a combination of fibroids ... Read more
Related support groups: Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids
Green Tea May Help Treat Uterine Fibroids
Posted 28 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 27 – Green tea extract shows promise as a treatment for uterine fibroids, say U.S. researchers who add they'll soon begin human trials of the therapy. Uterine fibroids, which affect 40 percent of women of reproductive age, cause excessive vaginal bleeding, anemia, fatigue and lack of energy. Currently, hysterectomy is the only treatment option. Green tea extract can kill human leiomyoma cells in tissue cultures and can eradicate fibroid lesions in lab animals, according to Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy, director of clinical research at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues. Their findings were published Jan. 14 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. "If we can prove this compound is effective, millions of women can start self-treatment and self-management," Al-Hendy said in a news release. He and his team are recruiting volunteers to take part in ... Read more
Related support groups: Green Tea, Uterine Leiomyomata / Fibroids
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Lupron, Lupron Depot, Lupron Depot 3.75 mg, leuprolide, Viadur, Lupron Depot-Gyn, Lupron Depot 11.25 mg, ulipristal