Women Would Rather Switch Than Fight With Gynecologist Over Embolization.

2001 MAR 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Study findings show women seeking treatment for uterine fibroids are switching gynecologists if their doctors don't support their decision to have uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), a minimally invasive procedure that is an alternative to hysterectomy.

Women also are the ones raising the possibility of the non-surgical alternative rather than being advised about it by their gynecologists, according to a Yale University study released March 6, 2001, at the 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular & Interventional Radiology in San Antonio, Texas.

"We're finding that women are really taking charge of their own destinies and are not totally depending on their gynecologists' opinion," said Michael G. Wysoki, MD, clinical assistant professor of radiology, section of interventional radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. "The Internet has made the greatest difference, with women doing quite a bit of research online as they explore alternative treatments for fibroids."

Yale researchers surveyed 21 women who had UFE and found eight of nine women (89%) whose gynecologists remained opposed to the procedure even after it was performed are now seeing other gynecologists. Nineteen of 2l women (90%) said they initiated discussion of UFE with their gynecologists. All of the gynecologists initially recommended hysterectomy, a procedure they generally perform. One-third of the more than 600,000 hysterectomies performed each year are for uterine fibroids. After the women asked about alternatives to hysterectomy, one gynecologist (5%) offered UFE. Although exact numbers were not recorded, some of the gynecologists in the study suggested their patients have myomectomy, a less invasive surgical alternative to hysterectomy for ...