At UVA, we offer a variety of medication or therapy options to treat your fibroids.
Non-Hormonal Therapy for Fibroid Symptoms
Some women's fibroids cause discomfort and bleeding. You can manage these symptoms with anti-inflammatory medication. Taking these drugs during your menstrual cycle can reduce pain and blood flow.
Hormonal Therapy for Fibroids
Hormone therapies treat uterine fibroids by shrinking their size and symptoms. They do this by either:
- Lessening your body's estrogen production
- Blocking estrogen's effects
Progesterone-Based Medications
Progesterone medications can temporarily stop or decrease bleeding. However, these medications don't always affect bleeding. They don't typically shrink fibroids.
You can get progesterone treatment through a device inserted in your uterus by your doctor.
Lupron
This medication decreases estrogen levels. It creates an artificial menopause that stops periods and shrinks fibroids.
Surgeons often use Lupron to shrink fibroids before surgery or focused ultrasound therapy. This makes those surgeries easier and more effective. We typically prescribe Lupron for three to six months.
Birth Control Pills & Fibroids
You may use birth control pills to have more predictable periods or to reduce bleeding between periods.
Birth control pills don't typically shrink fibroids. The hormones can actually make fibroids bigger.