BETHESDA, MD. — Persistence of symptoms and dissatisfaction with their health are significant predictors of hysterectomy in women with fibroids.
A total of 633 ethnically diverse women with fibroids who sought care were followed for 2 years. They completed questionnaires about quality of life and their interest in a hysterectomy, investigators wrote in a poster presented at an international conference on uterine leiomyoma research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
A total of 58 women had undergone a hysterectomy by the end of 2 years. Overall, baseline dissatisfaction with health and persistence of symptoms were highly predictive of hysterectomy in a multivariate analysis, with odds ratios of 2.54 and 3.11, respectively.
The most frequently reported symptoms were bleeding (58%), pressure (24%), and pain (19%), said Miriam Kuppermann, Ph.D., and her associates at the University of California, San Francisco.
The women reported a variety of nonsurgical treatments before entering the study, including ibuprofen (70%), oral contraceptives (39%), narcotics (31%), progestins (33%), herbs (34%), and acupuncture (15%). Prior surgical interventions included dilatation and curettage (23%) and myomectomy (8%).
At baseline, 43% of the women said they felt their pelvic problems remained unresolved, and 13% were “mostly” or “very” dissatisfied with their health. In addition, 29% reported that pelvic problems interfered “a lot” with their sex lives.