… 2000 Women Out of 100k Have Complications After Invasive Fibroid Surgeries- Dr Abayomi Ajayi
… Let’s Normalise Period Conversations Through Storytelling – Funke Treasure
L-R: Taiwo Adedeji, Nkem, Dr Abayomi Ajayi and Funke Treasure at the event.
Fibroid, with its attendant pains and blood loss, has really dealt with and is still dealing with a lot of women in their reproductive years.
However, a non-invasive way to treat uterine fibroids is now available in Nigeria and other parts of the world. It is known as High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU).
I am sure that we will all agree with me that it’s high time for us to rethink treatment methods and put women’s quality of life as top priority. Women deserve all the best of treatments we can think of.
Speaking at a hybrid event organised by Illuminate Nigeria Development Network, INDN under which the Sanitary Pad Media Campaign, SPMC,INDN-SPMC in collaboration with Fibroid Care Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, MD, Fibroid Care Centre @ NORDICA, made it known that fibroid treatment without surgery is advanced, novel and it’s quite safe for fibroids and adenomyosis.
According to the statistics given by Dr. Ajayi, two thousand women out of every one hundred thousand invasive fibroid surgeries done usually come down with various complications while twenty cases usually result into death.
“We have many women wondering whether they will be able to get pregnant because they have been diagnosed with fibroids, you are not alone.
Fibroids are tumour-like, non-cancerous growths in the uterus that can sometimes stop a woman from becoming pregnant because they can create problems for the fertilized egg attaching to the lining of the uterus.” Dr Ajayi explained.
“The quality of life of women with fibroids is disturbed by the symptoms they encounter. The symptoms come either in the form of heavy bleeding and anaemia. The bleeding can be irregular depending on the location of these fibroids and there might be a bump that is mistaken for pregnancy.
According to him, a surgical treatment called myomectomy can remove the fibroids, while saving the uterus and the ability to get pregnant. But the majority of people who have fibroids are afraid of surgery because they don’t want to see blood.
He further explained that although a myomectomy can treat the fibroids and allow women to retain their fertility, it is invasive and may have undesirable side effects which includes scarring in the uterus (endometrium) which further prevents pregnancy.
The HIFU procedure can be a better option for women. It uses real-time ultrasound waves to generate localized heat to specifically target individual fibroids to destroy the cells.
Narrating their experience with HIFU, Taiwo Adedeji, Mary Ufoma and Nkem expressed their appreciation for getting to know about HIFU procedure and urged other women going through fibroids pains to explore the option if it’s applicable to their situations.
In their words, HIFU has so many advantages particularly as it eliminates the need for surgery. The recovery time is short, there is no risk of blood loss, no damage to organs, and tissue and patients can return to normal life within 24-48 hours.
Unlike other treatments, HIFU offers a low rate of complications even as the use of general anaesthesia is eliminated.
Most importantly HIFU preserves fertility and you are able to conceive and have normal pregnancies after treatment.
The commonest reason people avoid surgeries is because they’re afraid of bleeding, but fibroids treatment without surgery is novel But it is not everybody who can benefit from HIFU. Patients are carefully selected using clinical, examination, ultrasound, and MRI. We are particularly careful with women who have previous midline scars, but grossly obese women and women with previous liposuction and tummy tuck are excluded
Speaking further, Dr Ajayi said that there’s need for a scan, then an MRI to locate the fibroid. You just lie down on the table and the machine is set. It is not done under local anaesthesia. The fibroids are simply burned away.
While some women with fibroids still need surgery (hysterectomy) to remove their uterus, guided HIFU provides a uterus-sparing alternative. It not only avoids surgery, but also needles and incisions.”
My Period Stories, a menstrual health podcast, made it’s debut on Africa Magic Family in April 2024. It aired simultaneously on DStv and GOtv beaming to all of Sub Saharan Africa.
The goal is to normalise period conversations through storytelling.
IProduced and hosted by an award winning broadcaster, Funkẹ Treasure, some episodes of Season One are now on You Tube. She urged women to tell their stories and not bottle up pains and emotions in order to encourage other women going through similar situations.
“We also called on government to support the HIFU treatment options so as to make it more affordable to a lot of people.” Funke Treasure appealed to those in position of authority.
As an effective alternative to surgery and medications for fibroids, there are fewer side effects with HIFU, no hospital stay and a quick return to normal activities, preservation of the uterus, cervix and ovaries and significant improvement in quality of life — less menstrual bleeding and relief from urinary problems, pelvic pain and pressure.
Essentially, HIFU can potentially treat the main types of fibroids. To determine whether the treatment is right for you, visit the Fibroid Centre in Lekki, Lagos, where this procedure is offered.
How HIFU fibroid treatment avoids surgery is quite straightforward. The machine produces sound waves, which your doctor focuses on one small section of a fibroid. This process is like using a magnifying glass to focus the sun’s rays on a dry leaf to start a fire.
The HIFU PROCEDURE Machine.
Targeted areas heat up and this thermal ablation safely destroys the fibroid while sparing healthy tissues nearby.
Throughout treatment, your doctor can instantly see the temperature at the targeted area and use this reading to make sure the target gets hot enough but doesn’t harm other tissues.
Before treatment, you are given medication to help you relax and get comfortable as you lie down on the treatment table. You can communicate with your team throughout the entire treatment duration.
During treatment: It’s normal to feel a warming sensation in your pelvic region. You are conscious the entire time and can provide feedback to the team.
At the end of your treatment, you rest in the clinic for a few hours so the sedative can wear off. You can go home once you’re cleared by the nursing staff.
Occasionally, women experience some temporary shoulder or back pain from lying on the table. Some also experience cramping, similar to having a menstrual period, but this clears up shortly after the procedure. My Period Stories Virtual Watch Party Season 2, a Hybrid Pan African Conversation with the Theme: Fibroid; A Non-Invasive Procedure was hosted by multiple award-winning media personality, Anike-Ade Funke Treasure at RADISSON HOTEL, LAGOS.