When the "curse" won't go away: Melva's story

The thought of continuous heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, cramps and pressure is enough to make any woman despair. But many women with uterine fibroids endure these symptoms -- sometimes for years -- before getting medical help.

Melva Becker noticed heavier bleeding during her "time of the month" after the birth of her last child about 20 years ago. Over the years her period lengthened. By the time she approached menopause, it only stopped a few days a month.

Becker took iron to prevent anemia. But she still felt tired and sometimes lightheaded. Even a short walk could bring on a large gush of blood and clots.

There are many causes for heavy menstrual bleeding. So Becker went to her gynecologist for a careful exam. A pelvic ultrasound showed fibroids in Becker's uterus.

What are fibroids?

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors of smooth muscle, the type that makes up the uterus. They may surface in different parts of the uterus, causing abnormal bleeding and/or pelvic pain and pressure.

Fibroids occur in 20 to 25 percent of women of childbearing age. They’re the most common reason for hysterectomies (surgeries to remove the uterus) in the United States -- about 200,000 each year.

Treatment options

To manage her symptoms, Becker first tried hormone therapy. But the heavy menstrual flow continued.

Her alternatives were hysterectomy or a uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). Becker decided she could not be off work for four to five days to have hysterectomy surgery, and then miss another four to six weeks of work to recover from it. So she chose UFE, a non-surgical way to treat uterine fibroids.

Choosing UFE

Becker's doctor referred her to Interventional Radiologist Josh Plorde, MD, at Suburban Imaging in Coon Rapids, Minn. Plorde used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the size and location of Becker’s fibroids and what vessels supply blood to them.

Plorde reviewed the MRI results with Becker and told her that they confirmed that she’d benefit from UFE (uterine fibroid embolization). He also discussed the procedure's benefits and risks.

• Benefits: Unlike hysterectomy, UFE keeps the uterus intact. The non-surgical procedure is 90 percent successful in lessening or stopping the heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain/cramping caused by uterine fibroids. The longest hospital stay after UFE is usually one night. Appropriate medicines control most of the discomfort that follows the procedure. Many women return to normal activities in seven to 10 days.
• Risks: Moderate to severe pain and cramping usually occur in the first few hours after UFE. Some women also experience nausea and fever. UFE may cause about 2 percent of women -- usually those in their mid-40s or older -- to enter menopause. There is a 1 percent chance that the uterus may be injured, possibly leading to hysterectomy. Despite many reports of successful pregnancies after UFE, clinical studies have yet to confirm the fertility rates of women who have had the procedure.

A short hospital stay and recovery

Becker went to Unity Hospital in Fridley, Minn., where Plorde and fellow radiologists Brad Close, MD, and Kevin Henseler, MD, have performed UFE for more than five years.

"I checked into Unity Hospital one day, had UFE that morning, stayed overnight, and went home the next day," says Becker.

She recovered at home in less than a week.

Successful follow up

Three months later, Becker had a follow-up exam, which included a second MRI. Pre- and post-procedure images are compared to monitor the response of the fibroid(s) to UFE.

Becker was happy to learn that her fibroids were shrinking. She now has only spotting during menstruation.

Becker highly recommends UFE to other women. "I would have had this done years ago if I had only known," she says. "Women today don't have to go through what I did."

Related Links

Hysterectomy could be history for women with fibroids at Allina’s Mercy & Unity Hospitals

Non-surgical technique effective against fibroids

Radiology care

Suburban Imaging

First published: 07/15/2005
Last updated: 07/15/2005

Reviewed by: Terry Howard, clinic liaison, Suburban Imaging; Paul Kleeberg, MD, medical director, Internet/Intranet Services, Allina Hospitals & Clinics; Josh Plorde, MD, interventional radiologist, Suburban Radiologic Consultants