Embolization a Nonsurgical Way to Treat Fibroids

Here is an article published on March 18, 2008 regarding Uterine Artery Embolization, as a nonsurgical way to treat uterine fibriods.

During 2007 the only treatment my doctors mentioned for my fibriods was a Hysterectomy. Luckily my mother mentioned UFE. I did an internet search and found that in Portland, Oregon the Oregon Health & Science University was conducting UFE. Unfortunately in December 2007 after an appointment with the OHSU Interventional Radiologist, I was told that I was not a good candidate for their program. Shortly after receiving this information I decide to attempt to shrink my fibriods with holistic treatments in the hope that I could become a good candidate for UFE.
Check out this except from the article:

"But Lipman suspected that -- despite the procedure's efficacy -- many women aren't being made aware of UAE. In his study, the Emory researcher interviewed 105 women being seen at an Atlanta-area fibroid practice to assess whether or not they had been told by their gynecologists that uterine artery embolization was an option. Lipman pointed out that gynecologists don't perform UAE, interventional radiologists do. So, if women were not informed about the procedure by their gynecologist, Lipman asked how they learned about UAE.

He found that only 33 percent of the women were given uterine artery embolization as an option, and most of these patients were referred from a single health-care organization -- one that requires doctors to present all options. The most common way that the remaining women found out about uterine artery embolization was eitherfrom radio advertisements or the Internet"

Not to bash doctors, but we can not rely only on doctors to give us information. When it comes to our health, we need all the facts and information we can get so that we can make an informed decision. That is why I created this blog and that is why you should pass the information on to your friends and family.

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Fibroids Are Cramping My Style

Aloha, The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my holistic fight against my uterine fibriods and commune with other people who are dealing with fibriods/tumors. Even before my diagnosis my quality of life had been compromised because of excessive bleeding and chronic anemia, which over time has gotten worse. However I can't just give up my reproductive organs without a fight. I just can’t accept my doctors recommendation to have a hysterectomy without trying other methods. My goal is to shrink my fribroids using natural medicine to the point where I can be a good candidate for a myomectomy or UFE. If at the end of my fight I have a hysterectomy I think I'll be better able to accept it knowing that I tried.
I am a single 37 year old black American woman, with no children, who recently moved from the Islands to the Pacific Northwest. Spring of 2007 my doctor told me I had fibroids. Later I will write more about my experiences but for right now I want to sum up.
During the summer of 2007 I had two ultra sounds. My doctor told me I had numerous fibroids which caused my uterus to enlarge to the size of someone who was 4 to 5 months pregnant. Also that I was chronic anemic and that I may have cysts on my ovaries. In Dec'07 I was referred to an OBGYN who recommended a hysterectomy. At the suggestion of the OBGYN I had an MRI. I met with a Interventional Radiologist at OHSU about uterine fibroid embolization (UFE)however I was not a good candidate. I went back to the OBGYN and she strongly recommended that I have a hysterectomy. The doctor also said that there were problems with my fallopian tubes and that she was going to remove them too. In regards to the possible cysts on my ovaries the Doctor would not know whether I would keep my ovaries until they opened me up.
I felt that I have reached a brick wall with conventional medicine. A few days a go I purchased a book Herbal Healing Secrets for Woman; Safe Natural remedies for 40+ Women. The book symbolizes the beginning of my non-conventional fight.
After reading the book, doing some research on the Internet and meeting with a naturopath (who I am going to have a consultation with on Tuesday, Jan 15th, 2008) I have come to believe that I have high levels of estrogen. I have decided to use natural remedies and supplements to balance my hormones and see if this has any effect on my fibriods. I am going to use this blog to share my experiences and hope that others will share with me.

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