Uterine fibroids are growths that develop in the uterus. They aren't cancerous, but they may cause pressure, pain, constipation, or several other unpleasant problems. With that said, if you're having any of these issues, we urge you to schedule an appointment at Total Women's Care, serving Houston, TX, and the nearby regions, with Dr. Vonne Jones, who can provide the appropriate tests and procedures to diagnose and treat them.

Initial Appointment

We'll conduct further testing if you come to our Houston, TX, office and are experiencing one or more of these symptoms:

• Pressure or pain in the pelvis or lower back
• Pain during sex
• Difficulty urinating or frequent urination
• Constipation
• Painful periods
• Periods increasing in length or frequency
• Heavy menstrual cycles
• Growing abdomen

At this point, we may conduct blood testing to check for anemia if you're having irregularly heavy or frequent menstrual cycles. The testing can also be used to rule out other causes of these symptoms.

Sometimes, you may not notice signs or chalk them up as normal. We then may detect you have fibroids when we press on your uterus, and it feels like you had changes in your uterus' shape.

Possible Imaging 

Imaging is the primary testing, usually an ultrasound, which doesn't emit radiation. Instead, it uses sound waves that bounce off the tissue in your abdominal region. We can then get an image of your uterus along with any fibroids. 

We may use either a transcutaneous ultrasound (placed on the outside of the abdomen) or a transvaginal transducer (inserted into the vagina).

Fortunately, this is a non-invasive test, and it usually only takes about 30 to 60 minutes total. 

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used if an ultrasound doesn't provide enough information. We usually inject you with a dye that helps make fibroids or other masses more prominent during the test. By the way, this is the imaging that requires you to lie on a table that'll move you through a tunnel with magnets. The magnetic force helps to create images of tissue and any masses.

Other possible imaging may include:

• Hysterosonography (sonogram with saline)
• Hysterosalpingography (x-ray that can be used to check fallopian tubes to gauge fertility)
• Hysteroscopy (endoscopy used to check the uterine lining)

Treatment 

If you're not having symptoms, we may take the "wait and watch" approach. 

Other possible treatments could include gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, a way to hormonally block the further production of uterine fibroids. 

We may symptom-treat or remove the fibroids non-invasively or surgically.

At Total Women's Care, serving Houston, TX, and the neighboring communities, Dr. Jones can diagnose and treat uterine fibroids using the aforementioned. 

Call (346) 320-3188 today for an appointment.