Medical

Susceptibility of fibroids to hormone stimulation is now well established.  Thus there has been much interest in use of hormone manipulation with the hope of shrinking the tumor.  Different agents have been used to suppress estrogen levels.  The newest and most promising group are the gonadotropin-releasing-hormone analogs (GnRH).  This group of agents suppress the release of naturally occurring hormones, namely follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and leutinizing hormone (LH), which subsequently prevent the production of estrogen.  This results in reduced blood flow to the uterus and, therefore, to the fibroids, decreasing the size of both.  However the effectiveness of these agents is temporary, as studies have shown re-growth of the fibroids 4 to 6 months after the therapy is stopped.  In addition, other adverse effects have been associated with these agents including early menopause and osteoporosis.