Natalie Suflita was able to get the care she needed from the team at 嘿嘿视频鈥檚 Center for Fibroid Care.
Photo courtesy of Natalie Suflita
Natalie Suflita, a 35-year-old from Rochester, New York, noticed lower back pressure and numbness in her legs when she drove for long distances. After several doctor鈥檚 appointments, she learned she had a mass about the size of a watermelon in her pelvis. Several doctors believed it was cancer and recommended a hysterectomy, a removal of the uterus.
After meeting with two oncologists, Natalie sought one last opinion from Taraneh Shirazian, MD, founder and director of 嘿嘿视频鈥檚 Center for Fibroid Care and associate professor in the at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and learned that she could have the mass removed without a hysterectomy. Immediately she felt relief.
鈥淚 was not OK with if I woke up after surgery and I didn鈥檛 have a uterus, of course thankfully, I wouldn鈥檛 have the fibroids but also not having ovaries, and then it wasn鈥檛 cancerous,鈥 says Natalie. 鈥淚 would be so regretful.鈥
Every year, millions of people experience the debilitating symptoms of fibroids in silence. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors that grow in and around the uterus, feeding off hormones. They are very common, appearing in up to 80 percent of people with uteruses by age 50.
鈥淲hile about a quarter of fibroids are asymptomatic, others cause symptoms that interfere with people鈥檚 lives,鈥 says Dr. Shirazian. 鈥淲omen that have these big fibroids or masses, they go to their doctors across the country, and they tell them the same horrible things like it鈥檚 cancer.鈥
Dr. Shirazian adds that treating fibroids often doesn鈥檛 involve a hysterectomy. 鈥淧atients shouldn鈥檛 feel afraid of coming to see their doctor. There鈥檚 so many options and good care.鈥
After meeting with Natalie, Dr. Shirazian knew she could help her.
Growing quickly and massively, Natalie鈥檚 uterine fibroid took up much of her abdomen.
鈥淭he mass took up basically her entire abdomen. But I could tell that it had a lot of the key characteristics of a fibroid on her imaging,鈥 says Dr. Shirazian. 鈥淚t was attached to the uterus, but could be separated while still maintaining her fertility.鈥
Natalie had a laparoscopic myomectomy and enrolled in Dr. Shirazian鈥檚 LIFE study, which aims to reduce fibroids from returning.
鈥淭he study focuses on diet, lifestyle, and supplements after surgery or procedures to see if we can minimize these fibroids coming back,鈥 explains Dr. Shirazian.
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