Dr Ifeoma Azubuike, Obstetrics and Gynecologist at Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri, says hysterectomy is the permanent solution to fibroid.
She said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
Hysterectomy is an operation to remove the uterus. The surgery may be done for different reasons, including uterine fibroids that cause pain, bleeding or other problems.
The medical practitioner also said that fibroid would likely occur again after myomectomy surgery but permanently treated after hysterectomy.
She added that “fibroid surgery is advised based on an individual’s symptoms but usually when the symptoms become life-threatening, we advise surgery.”
The gynecologist, who said that some drugs could shrink the big ones to make surgical removal easy, noted that they start to grow again once the drugs were stopped.
The medical doctor, who said that the cause remained largely unknown, however, noted some risk factors to include nulliparity, obesity, hyperestrogenic state, multiparity and smoking, saying it was more in black women.
Azubuike explained that its symptoms depended on where in the uterus it occurred and size also.
She also said that the ailment could be asymptomatic and could be managed with both drugs and surgery.
“Drugs are used for a short period or to manage particular symptoms and not to treat the fibroids,” she added.