Doctors remove fibroids weighing 2.75kg from woman’s uterus in Mumbai

The fibroids had grown over a 26-week-period, and had made the woman look like she was seven months pregnant.

Doctors from the RN Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle, extracted multiple fibroids weighing 2.75 kilograms (kg), from the uterus of a 36-year-old woman, after a two-hour-long surgery on March 30.

Due to minimal blood loss during the surgery, the woman didn’t need any blood transfusion and was stable post the surgery.(REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO)

Doctors said that the fibroids, had grown over a 26-week-period, and had made the woman, look like she was seven months pregnant.

Uterine fibroids is a common gynaecological condition where non-cancerous tumours originate in uterus. If left untreated, they can enlarge and put pressure on surrounding organs like bladder and bowels. Doctors said that symptoms of the condition vary from heavy menstrual bleeding, painful menstruation, irregular bleeding and painful intercourse. Further development of fibroids is known to cause infertility and recurrent miscarriages.

Doctors said the patient, who works as a domestic help, visited the Out Patient Department of the hospital during the last week of March. She complained of heavy menstrual bleeding since a year and a lump in the abdomen in last week of March. Heavy menstrual bleeding is a classic symptom of uterine fibroids.

“The size of the lump was as big as a seven month old foetus, and the heavy bleeding led to severe weakness. The condition disrupted her personal life. Sadly, Indian women ignore their health complications, which eventually reach disastrous levels,” said Dr Ganesh Shinde, the hospital dean and the gynaecologist who treated the patient.

Doctors said that the haemoglobin level of the patient was 4 grams (gm) % against the healthy 12gm% and an ultrasonography report showed 26-week multiple fibroids in the uterus, enlarged in size.

“We removed the uterus and found it to be weighing 2.75kg, studded with multiple fibroids. Fellow doctors and family members were aghast when shown the specimen,” Shinde said.

Due to minimal blood loss during the surgery, the women didn’t need any blood transfusion and was stable post the surgery, said doctors.

“The fibroids were putting pressure on the woman’s uterus, which, if she would have further ignored, could have led to kidney damage,” Shinde said.

Having conducted several similar surgeries, Shinde decided to head the woman’s surgery on March 30. One of Shinde’s patients at Sion Hospital had got a 5kg uterine fibroid extracted.

The patient was discharged on Monday and Shinde, citing the case, appealed to women to avail immediate medical help if they experience similar symptoms, so that further damage to the internal organs can be reduced.

“ Some women may not suffer from menstrual complications, but could go through chronic pain in pelvic region or could experience lump growth in abdomen and abdomen fullness. Ignoring these symptoms can result in severe complications in future,” Shinde said.