Surgery, only treatment for fibroid, says gynaecologist

A Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, Dr. Adeyemi Ajayi, said on Saturday in Lagos that surgery remained the only way to treat fibroid.
Ajayi, of Bethel Medical Centre, Ayobo, Lagos, told the News Agency of Nigeria that fibroid “is a tumour that develops in the womb of a woman”.
He said that drugs could only make it to shrink, but could not cure it.
He said: “Many women living with fibroid have no symptom, and that is why they do not know they have it.
“In some women, fibroid may cause heavy menstruation period, discomfort in the lower abdomen, frequent urination, and swelling in the lower abdomen.”
Ajayi said medical practitioners had not been able to identify the causes of fibroid, adding that it could only be diagnosed through pelvic examination and ultra sound.
He said: “Fibroid varies in size from that of a bean to the ones as large as watermelon; it affects at least 30 per cent of women.
“Women, between 30 and 50 years, are at higher risk of developing fibroid.”
According to him, women with big fibroid may face infertility problem as there will be no space in the womb for the baby to stay and develop.
“Such women have to go for surgery so that they can be pregnant and have babies,” he said.
Ajayi, however, added that women with small fibroid could still get pregnant and have children.