Medication
Hormonal and non-hormonal medicines can reduce bleeding and shrink fibroids for a time. Effects usually last only while the medicine is taken, so medication often bridges to menopause or to another treatment.
HIFU (focused ultrasound)
Focused ultrasound heats and destroys fibroid tissue through the skin, with no incision. The uterus stays in place and recovery is short. Suitability depends on the size, number and position of the fibroids, and the treated fibroid shrinks gradually rather than disappearing.
Uterine fibroid embolization
An interventional radiologist passes a fine catheter through an artery, usually at the wrist or groin, and blocks the blood supply to the fibroids so they shrink. It treats several fibroids at once and usually involves a hospital stay of a night or so, with pain for some days afterwards.
Myomectomy
Surgical removal of the fibroids, through the cervix (hysteroscopic), through small abdominal incisions (laparoscopic) or through an open incision. It removes the fibroid completely and keeps the uterus, with a recovery that depends on the approach.
Hysterectomy
Removal of the uterus. It ends fibroid symptoms permanently and is the only option that guarantees they cannot return, but it ends the possibility of pregnancy and is a major operation.
How to decide
Your symptoms, the fibroids' size and position, whether you want a future pregnancy, and how much recovery time you can take all matter. A scan and an honest conversation about the trade-offs come first. At Podo, HIFU is the non-surgical option we offer; we will tell you if another treatment would suit you better.