Fibroids
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Expectant management for women without symptoms
If you have fibroids but no symptoms, you might
decide against any type of treatment at all. This
is called expectant management and entails close
monitoring by your doctor but no immediate action.
Expectant management is also called a "watch
and wait" approach. Your doctor will probably
check once or twice a year to see if the size
of the fibroid has changed. You might also undergo
an ultrasound examination. This provides a baseline
picture of your fibroids from which to compare
and measure growth and progression.
If the fibroid does grow in size, that alone
is not reason enough to consider removing it.
Fibroids, by nature, progressively increase in
size until menopause, when the body stops producing
estrogen and fibroids tend to shrink on their
own.
Your doctor can usually perform this ultrasound
evaluation right in the office. Sometimes, other
imaging tools, such as MRI, magnetic resonance
imaging, or CT, computerized tomography, are used.
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