“The first time I got my period after having the procedure, it was very light and only lasted for three days instead of six. Now when I get my period it’s no big deal, and I can still go on with my life."
Plaza had fibroids — benign tumors that grow inside the uterus. About 20 percent of women of childbearing age will have them at some point. However, most women don’t know they have fibroids because they’re often so small that they don’t cause any symptoms and eventually go away on their own. Not so for Plaza.
An ultrasound at her gynecologist’s office showed that the fibroids were getting bigger over time. One had even become the size of an orange. Due to the heavy blood loss with each period, Plaza developed anemia. She also experienced frequent urination because the fibroids were pressing on her bladder. “I always felt like I had to go to the bathroom even if I just went an hour ago,” she says.
Weighing the Options
Last fall, Plaza’s gynecologist referred her to Alan Saunders, MD, an interventionalradiologist at Somerset Medical Center. He explained the various treatment options to Plaza and recommended one in particular: fibroid embolization.
“With fibroid embolization, I insert a tiny catheter through an artery in the groin and snake it to the artery in the uterus that supplies blood to the fibroids,” Dr. Saunders says. “I then inject the arterywith special materials to clog it up so the fibroids no longer receive blood and die.”
For most patients, Dr. Saunders recommends fibroid embolization over other treatments, such as hysterectomy — surgical removal of the uterus. “Embolization is much less invasive, which means there’s a lower risk for blood loss and infection,” he says. Patients also havea shorter hospital stay, less pain, shorterrecovery, lower risk for complications and can return to regular activities much sooner — within just a few days. “Once we decided to do this procedure, Dr. Saunders asked when I’d be ready for it and I told him as soon as we can,” Plaza says. In fact, Dr. Saunders always makes fibroid patients a priority. “Fibroids are such a quality of life issue for these patients, and with treatment such as embolization it can drastically improve women’s lives within a very short period of time,” Dr. Saunders says.
Getting On with Life
Plaza stayed in the hospital overnight, as most fibroid embolization patients do, and went home the next day. “I feel like another person now,” she says. “The first time I got my period after having the procedure, it was very light and only lasted for three days instead of six. Now when I get my period it’s no big deal, and I can still go on with my life."