Fibroid tumors are the most common, non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, at least 25 percent of U.S. women over the age of 35 have clinical symptoms of fibroid tumors, with African-American women even more likely to develop them.

There is no known cause for uterine fibroid tumors. The uterus is a bundle of muscles, and for an unknown reason, part of this muscle sometimes forms a ball called a fibroid. Not all women with fibroid tumors have any symptoms; those who do may suffer from heavy bleeding during the menstrual period; periods that last longer; or cramping in the lower pelvic area, back, and legs.

“We tailor treatment recommendations to the patient’s symptoms, age, fertility desires, fibroid size, and location,” says Jill Vibhakar, M.D., UI Hospitals and Clinics gynecologist and co-director of the UI Fibroid Clinic.

“We offer medical management, minimally invasive surgery when appropriate (laparoscopic and hysteroscopic myomectomies), abdominal myomectomy, hysterectomy, and uterine fibroid embolization, a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks fibroids an average of 50 percent.”

The UI Fibroid Clinic is open Wednesdays from 1 to 5 p.m. Appointments can be made by calling 319-356-2294.

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