Title : What they don’t teach you about fibroids, the clinical gaps that fail patients every day
Abstract:
Despite the prevalence of fibroids worldwide, clinicians still face significant gaps in training that affect diagnosis, counseling, and long term management. In my years as a reproductive surgeon and fibroid specialist, I have seen how women living with fibroids struggle when they receive incomplete information, limited treatment options, or inconsistent guidance about fertility, pain, or sexual function. These gaps influence physical outcomes, emotional well-being, and they often delay appropriate care.
This session provides an evidence-based, practical framework for the modern management of fibroids. Attendees will learn how to choose the right medical therapies by understanding which oral contraceptive formulations deliver meaningful estrogen support for bleeding control and how to integrate NSAIDs, tranexamic acid, and/or progesterone based regimens. I will also review gonadotropin modulators, including leuprolide, Myfembree, and Oriahnn, with clear guidance on indications, counseling, and transition planning.
Minimally invasive options such as Acessa radiofrequency ablation, Sonata transcervical ablation, and uterine fibroid embolization will be compared with an emphasis on patient selection, fertility implications, and real world outcomes. This includes how to help patients navigate procedural choices with confidence, especially when treatment goals differ from clinician familiarity or institutional norms.
Fertility planning is a critical component of fibroid care. The session outlines how to interpret AMH in context, when to refer to reproductive endocrinology, how to time surgical intervention, and how to provide balanced counseling without fear based messaging. Sexual dysfunction and quality of life concerns are addressed with practical strategies for evaluating dyspareunia, desire changes, and body image concerns.
In addition, this session highlights the importance of patient support systems. Clinicians will learn how to equip patients with language and tools to communicate with partners, spouses, parents, and siblings and how strengthening these networks improves adherence, emotional resilience, and satisfaction with care. Secondary prevention strategies, including vitamin D optimization and lifestyle interventions, will also be reviewed.
By drawing on over 12 years of clinical practice, advanced surgical experience, and years of teaching and advocacy in women’s health, this session gives clinicians an updated, patient centered fibroid framework. Participants will leave with actionable approaches that elevate clinical decision making, improve patient-provider communication, and support individualized, culturally competent care for women living with fibroids.
