Professor Sojeong Kwon
The uterus plays the most important role during pregnancy and childbirth. The actual size of the uterus is that of a fist and the reason it can accommodate a fetus weighing around 3kg is because most of the uterine tissue is made up of a muscle layer. When abnormal lumps form in these muscles, it is a disease called “uterine fibroids”. Uterine fibroids are found in 25 to 35 percent of women of childbearing age and are common enough to occur in 40 to 50 percent of people over the age of 35. Looking at the statistics over the five years since 2017, the number of patients has been steadily increasing, with a 60% increase.
Professor Kwon So-jeong from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nowon Eulji University Hospital said: “It is known that the cause of uterine fibroids is related to the female hormone, estrogen.” , the incidence of fibroids increases and the intake of hormones or health-promoting foods containing estrogen warned: “Not only does it increase the risk of developing uterine fibroids, but it can also increase the size of existing fibroids.” He further pointed out: “Not only does overweight and obesity cause uterine fibroids to triple, but if you have diabetes, the incidence increases regardless of your body mass index, so it is important to take care of your health on a daily basis.”
A protruding lower abdomen is often mistaken for simple weight gain.
It is often misunderstood that uterine fibroids occur more often in married women, but in reality there is no direct correlation with whether they are married or not. Rather, single women, who have fewer opportunities to undergo regular gynecological checkups than married women, often become complacent and miss the right time for treatment. In particular, uterine fibroids are often asymptomatic and can be easily overlooked, so you should see a doctor if the following symptoms persist for more than 3 months.
▲If there is bleeding outside of the menstrual period ▲If the amount is heavy or menstrual pain worsens from the 2nd to 3rd day of menstruation ▲Pain caused by pressure on surrounding organs ▲Abdominal swelling ▲If only the part swells lower abdomen ▲ If a lump is felt when lying down ▲ Pelvic pain Even if uterine fibroids are discovered, this does not mean that surgical treatment is performed immediately. In most cases, ultrasound examination and follow-up are performed every 6 months to 1 year. However, if uterine fibroids grow rapidly, if symptoms such as bleeding or pain are too severe, if they interfere with future pregnancies, or if they have the potential to develop into malignancies, they must be treated.
The surgical method varies depending on the location of the myoma.
Treatment varies depending on the location of the fibroids. There are three main types of uterine fibroids. They are classified into “submucosal fibroids” which are close to the endometrium, “intramuscular fibroids” which are located within the muscle layer, and “subserosal fibroids” which are close to the outside of the uterus. Among these, submucosal fibroids represent approximately 5% of all uterine fibroids and have the characteristic of growing in the muscle layer just below the endometrium and protruding inward, making them highly likely to interfere with pregnancy. If you are planning to become pregnant, you will need to remove the fibroids via hysteroscopic resection. The surgery is performed on the same day and lasts approximately 30 minutes, so the burden on patients is minimal.
Sophisticated, fast-recovery robotic surgery optimized for uterine fibroid surgery
Intramuscular myomas or subserosal myomas require surgical treatment. Robotic surgery is mainly performed, which combines the advantages of open surgery and laparoscopy. The robotic surgical instrument is an upgrade of the existing rod-type laparoscopic instrument into a wrist joint-type instrument. Unlike before, which was limited to a straight curve, it can rotate 540 degrees, allowing quick access to any part of the abdominal cavity. In particular, robotic surgery for gynecological pathologies allows small incisions and delicate manipulations to be made, allowing the functionality and fertility of the uterus to be preserved as much as possible. Furthermore, it is preferred because it can reduce bleeding and pain.
Professor Kwon So-jeong said, “The treatment method is determined based on the location of the fibroid, the patient’s age, whether or not the patient is in menopause, the presence or absence of symptoms, the fibroid pattern of change, your birth plan, and whether you want to preserve the uterus. “A few decades ago, if uterine fibroids were large or numerous, hysterectomy should be considered.” However, “today people do not they hesitate to go to the obstetrics and gynecology department because robotic surgery can precisely remove uterine fibroids and reconstruct the uterine wall while minimizing uterine damage.” “It is important to receive adequate treatment,” he stressed.
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