How You Can Treat FIBROIDS Without Surgery

• Popular Gynaecologist, Dr. ABAYOMI AJAYI Explains

+How The FIBROIDS Centre Has Treated Over 500 Cases

This is good news for a lot of ladies. City People can authoritatively reveal that the dreaded disease called Uterine Fibroids can now be treated without going through Surgery. It is not as if the technique is new. It is not. Doctors all over the world have been treating Fibroids without Surgery for a few years now. But the treatment is now available in Lagos & Abuja. That is why a lot of ladies are happy that now those who suffer Fibroids can go in for treatment without getting under the knife. That has always been the fear, because in the past, stories abound of how many ladies have gone in for surgery for Fibroids and they did not survive it, due to several complications.

Over the years, many doctors have confirmed the upsurge in the cases of Uterine Fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the Uterus.

They are composed of smooth muscle cells and fibrous tissue. And they vary in size, number, and location.

According to experts, the symptous range from heavy or prolonged menstrual bleedings, pelvic pressure or pains, bloating or swelling, frequent urination, constipation, backache and infertility or recurrent miscarriage. And as for the causes, it could be as a result of Estrogen and Progesterone, which stimulate fibroid growth, or Genetic predisposition, like family history which increases Risk or Age, as it is more common in Women of Reproductive Age. There is also the Ethnic side to it, as it is more common in African-American Women. Obesity also increases the risk.

It is usually diagnosed via Pelvic examination, Ultrasound, MRI, Hysteroscopy (visual examination of the uterus or Biopsy (if cancer is suspected).

According to experts, there are about 4 treatment options: (1) Medications (Hormonal Therapies, Pain Relievers or Fertility Medications) (2) Surgery (Myomectomy which is the removal of fibroids, Hysterectomy (which is the removal of the Uterus) (3) Minimally invasive procedures like uterine artery embolization, radio frequency ablation (4) Alternative therapies like Acupuncture and herbal remedies.

But all of these come with implications like Anemia (from heavy bleeding), Inferlity, Miscarriage, Premature Labout or Uterine Rupture.

That is why the news of treating Fibroids Without Surgery comes as Good news to many women. The 4 medical treatments are (1) Hormonal Therapies: through birth control pills or hormonal IUDs which can help reduce bleeding and shrink fibroids (2) Gonadotropin – releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists. Via this method, medications like Lupron or Synarel can shrink Fibroids by blocking estrogen production (3) Progesterone Receptor Modulators (PRMs): Medications like ulipristal acetate (Esmya) can reduce bleeding and shrink Fibroids (4) Tranexamic acid (Lysteda): A non-hormonal medication that reduces bleeding.

There are also 4 Minimally Invasive Procedures: (1) Uterine artery embolization (UAE) which blocks blood flow to the Fibroid, causing it to shrink (2) Magnetic Resonance-guided focused ultra-sound surgery (MRgFUS). It uses sound waves to heat and shrink Fibroids (3) Endometrial ablation, which removes or destroys the lining of the uterus to reduce bleeding (4) Myolysis, which uses heat or cold to destroy fibroid tissue.

Some medical experts recommend a wide range of Alternative Therapies like Acupuncture, Herbal Supplement, Dietary Changes, and Stress Management.

Some have also recommended Lifestyle Changes like having regular exercise to reduce symptoms; Maintaining a healthy weight, since excess weight can exacerbate Fibroid symptoms and to avoid foods that trigger symptoms.

City People spoke to Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, a popular Lagos Gynaecologist and the MD/CEO of Nordica Fertility Center, about it and he opened up about the new method.

He runs a Fibroids Care Centre which last September celebrated its 3rd anniversary and having done 500 successful treatment of HIFU for Fibroids & Adenomyosis without Surgery in Nigeria. “That is the 1st time such an event will hold in Nigeria”, he said.

“As you are aware, this machine that we have is the only one in West Africa. We now have the 2nd one in Abuja. It is the same machine that we have in Lagos that is in Abuja”.

“We all know the challenges that Fibroids pose and we all know the complications that sometimes follow the treatment of Fibroids, apart from the problems that it causes our women.

When it is untreated it is a problem, when it is treated, sometimes it is a problem.

So we were thinking that it will be a nice idea, for us to be able to have a way of treating Fibroids, without Surgery.

We have proven that this can be done now, since we have done over 500 cases now, in Lagos, that was why we hosted that event”. We opened the Abuja Centre in July, this year and they are doing number 20 tomorrow”.

What made Dr. Abayomi Ajayi start the Lagos Fibroids Centre at the time he did? “That was 3 years ago. What I tell people is that this dream of looking for a way of treating Fibroids, without Surgery actually started in 1996 when somebody very popular died from Fibroids surgery. And I started thinking of what else can be done just like I thought about IVF then too, that yeah, there must be a way to treat this Fibroids without surgery. And of course, it was just a thought. But later on, about 12 years ago, I went for a Conference, and I saw that they had actually started doing it. But it was very rudimentary then.”

“I went to the stand at the exhibition, and looked at what they were doing and I saw that it was still a little bit cumbersome. I said we are not ready for it.

I think about 5 years ago, I followed that company up in the US but they closed down. The product they had then was still not good.”

So, about 5 years ago, I went for another conference in Singapore, and I met those people now that I am doing business with, and I saw that there has been an advancement in the machine. So, we spoke and then a year after we met again. One, thing led to another and 3 years ago, we opened in Lagos”.

“The attraction for me is that one, no blood loss. Two, you don’t open up at all. Three, no anaesthisia. Four, you go home that very day. Five, 48 hours after you will start to live your normal life. You can do almost anything after that.

So this short recuperative period for me was something else again apart from the procedure itself, because some of the things that cause problems for our women was the fact that they needed to stay in bed for a long while, again, after the surgery. And you know our women, are blessed. Some of them are really big. And that also increases some of the risk that can come from the complications of surgery.”

So, when I saw a method that you don’t need to stay in bed for long, I just jumped at it, as something to really look at for our women in Nigeria.

“When I now saw it, I realised that they had opened a centre in South Africa. And another one had opened in Egypt. So, we became the 3rd in Africa to open. And last year December, Tanzania also joined us. That is the journey. And I know that so many countries in Africa are talking to the Manufacturers of the machine.”

But they are at different stages of negotiations.”

Dr Abayomi Ajayi is the founder of ISCARE Nigeria Limited, an investment company focused on the Healthcare sector in Nigeria and West Africa.

In 2003, he founded Nordica Fertility Centre to provide the latest and most advanced assisted reproductive services for treatment of Male and Female infertility and related issues, with offices in Abuja, Asaba, and Lagos.

His innovative and entrepreneurial spirit made him champion more medical solutions in Nigeria’s Health Sector where he introduced the HIFU machine (a completely noninvasive way of treating Fibroids) amongst other very notable procedures. This led to the setting up of the Fibroid Care Centre, a dedicated specialist centre focused on the non-invasive and minimally invasive treatment of benign gynaecological conditions such as Uterine Fibroids and Adenomyosis.

His visionary leadership made him go into social investments establishing brands like the Physicians Roundtable (PRT), the Endometriosis Support Group (ESGN), and co-founder of the African Endometriosis Awareness and Support Foundation, FAAI (Fertility Awareness Advocacy Initiative) all in a bid to positively impact the health industry in Nigeria and beyond.

He is the Convener of the Dr Abayomi Ajayi Physicians Mentoring Program, a platform aimed at providing mentorship and guidance for young medical professionals.

He has joined bodies like The Association for Fertility & Reproductive Health (AFRH), ISMIVS – International Society of Minimally Invasive and Virtual Surgery, Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (SOGON), American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), American Association for Gynaecological Laparoscopy (AAGL), International Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ISGE), American Society of Liposuction Surgery (ASLS) and American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) to strengthen his entrepreneurial quest.

He is an Alumnus of Stanford University’s SEED institute for innovation in developing economies.