FAQ What Is Radiofrequency Ablation? How Does It Remove Uterine Fibroids?
Although “ablation” might sound like medical jargon, it’s really quite straightforward. Ablation means a process used to destroy tissue, often using extreme heat or cold. This helpful medical procedure can be used to treat a variety of medical problems, including as uterine fibroids treatment options.
For women experiencing the pain, discomfort, and anxiety that’s part of the signs and symptoms of fibroids, it can often be confusing understanding all the uterine fibroids treatment options available today. And although the precise fibroid treatments that are best for you will vary from woman to woman, more patients are choosing radiofrequency ablation as an alternative to hysterectomies. In fact, radiofrequency ablation is on the cutting edge of uterine fibroids treatment options.
For women seeking a non-surgical, outpatient treatment of uterine fibroids, radiofrequency ablation, can provide lasting relief.
So how does radiofrequency ablation work?
This procedure is a form of thermal (hot) ablation. During the procedure, heat is applied to the fibroids, honing in on only the tissue you want to destroy without harming surrounding tissues. Then, your body naturally absorbs the dead fibroids tissue.
The surgeon will use a combination of tools, including an ultrasound probe and scope, to locate all the fibroids. Then, he or she will ablate the fibroids with radiofrequency.
Is radiofrequency a surgery? Does it involve going under the knife?
This new procedure is one of only a few minimally invasive uterine fibroids treatment options. Your doctor will make tiny keyhole incisions, no more than a quarter inch, but there is no cutting of the uterus itself. And because it’s an outpatient procedure, patients recover in their own home, usually in two or three days.
Is radiofrequency ablation right for me?
Only you and your doctor can answer that question. But if you’re looking for minimally invasive uterine fibroids treatment options designed for the removal of uterine fibroids, then this new technique might be right for you.