Maternal health experts have reassured women that fibroid surgery is safe when carried out by professionals in appropriate and properly equipped medical facilities, dispelling fears about the procedure.
They further noted that while not every woman with fibroids requires surgery or treatment, those symptoms, including experiencing heavy bleeding, pain, abdominal swelling, painful intercourse, frequent urination, and constipation, may need medical intervention.
The gynaecologists’ comments come amid myths and concerns about fibroid surgery safety, particularly for women still considering conception and childbirth.
Although the exact cause of fibroids is still unknown, the experts told PUNCH Healthwise that genetic factors likely account for the high prevalence among Nigerian women, estimated at 40 to 80 per cent.
According to the National Health Service, United Kingdom, fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb (uterus). The growths are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue and vary in size.
PUNCH Healthwise earlier reported that women who undergo fibroid surgery can still have more babies, dismissing the notion that the procedure results in infertility.
The report explained that while every fibroid treatment may slightly reduce fertility potential, most women who desire children after surgery are still able to achieve pregnancy.
Commenting on the matter, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oluwarotimi Akinola, emphasised that while fibroid surgery is safe in professional hands, it requires a high degree of expertise.
“Fibroid surgery when done by professionals is safe,” Akinola stated, explaining that the primary risk during fibroid surgery is bleeding, which can prove fatal if not properly managed.
The former National President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria further clarified that cases of death during the removal of fibroids could probably be caused by bleeding during the surgery, emphasising the need for experts’ involvement in the procedure.
Akinola stressed that surgeons must take precautions to prevent bleeding and ensure they operate in environments equipped to transfuse patients if necessary.
He said, “In the case of people dying during fibroid surgery, it’s probably caused by bleeding during the surgery. So there’s some degree of expertise involved that is needed. It’s not just everybody who should be doing it (performing the surgery). During the surgery, precautions must be taken to prevent bleeding, and then if there’s bleeding, you must be in an environment where you can probably transfuse (blood to) the patient. All those precautions must be taken.”
The professor further stated, “If you have to treat fibroids, then you either have medical treatment, which means it tries to shrink the fibroid, or the surgical options.”
The researcher on uterine artery ligation for management of uterine fibroids added that newer minimally invasive technologies are increasingly being used to shrink fibroids.
Akinola stated, “High intensity focused ultrasound is one of the new options that people talk about. It tries to burn the fibroid under imaging guidance using high-frequency ultrasound waves. Again, it is just an option.”
The gynaecologist urged women who have symptoms of the condition to ensure they seek proper care, treatment and advice from skilled professionals.
Corroborating this view, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Delta State University, Lawrence Omo-Aghoja, described fibroid surgery as safe when performed by professionals, likening it to any other surgical procedure.
“It is just like any other surgery. Things can go wrong in any surgery, but that doesn’t mean that once you do a fibroid surgery, you die. It is safe,” Omo-Aghoja said.
He asserted that about 60 per cent of women with fibroids are asymptomatic, meaning they experience no symptoms and may never know they have the condition.
“Some women may only discover they have fibroids incidentally during scans for other conditions, whilst others may only be diagnosed during post-mortem examinations,” he explained.
He stated that surgery is typically recommended for women with symptomatic fibroids, those causing heavy bleeding, pain, or pressure symptoms on pelvic organs.
Omo-Aghoja noted that fibroids can undergo degeneration over time, leading to pain and other complications that necessitate treatment.
“For those who have a fibroid that is causing problems, we describe it as being symptomatic. The fibroid may result in the woman having heavy bleeding, pain, or pressure symptoms in the pelvis, and the woman needs treatment to deal with the complications,” he said.
The gynaecologist urged women with the condition to prioritise early medical assessment, avoid self-medication, and seek specialist care when symptoms occur.
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