Study on Myomectomy and Quality of Life

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, after a year of myomectomy, women experience improved fibroid-related symptoms. The procedure is observed to improve patient satisfaction and quality of life.

The lead author Emma E Don said there is an assumption regarding improving uterine myoma-related symptoms, including pelvic pain and heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). However, this assumption requires further verification and validation.

Study Details

This was studied further in a retrospective cohort study in a university-affiliated hospital on 241 patients diagnosed with myoma and received a myomectomy between 2004 and 2018.

The primary source of data were medical records and questionnaires. The interventions were Transcervical resection of myoma (TCRM) and laparoscopic or abdominal myomectomy (LAM).

Main Results

• Following one year after TCRM, a significant number of women experienced symptom improvement for pelvic pain and HMB with 79% and 89% respectively. No significant improvements were reported for other myoma-related symptoms like abdominal pressure, sexual complaints, and infertility.
• Following a year of LAM, women experienced symptom improvement for pelvic pain, HMB, abdominal pressure, sexual complaints, and other complaints constituting 80%, 83%, 85%, 77%, and 91%, respectively.
• One year after myomectomy, 47% after TCRM and 44% of women after LAM described no myoma-related symptoms.
• 82% of women were satisfied with the postoperative result after one year, and 53% would have liked to receive the myomectomy earlier in life.
• The average quality of life increased from 6.3 to 8.0 and 6.2 to 8.0 one year after TCRM and LAM, respectively, with a difference of 1.7 and 1.9 points, respectively.

They said most women benefit from myomectomy, and we reported positive outcomes related to the procedure in our study. They noted data were collected retrospectively over a long follow-up period, and recall and selection bias could have influenced the results.

Further Reading

Don, E. E., Mijatovic, V., Van Eekelen, R., Hehenkamp, W. J., & Huirne, J. a. F. (2023). The effect of a myomectomy on myoma-related symptoms and quality of life: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 30(11), 897–904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmig.2023.07.001