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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Manual Examination Tell If Fibroid Has Shrunk Or Not?

I have a hysterectomy scheduled for September 24, 2014. Doctor started me on 3 months of Lupron injections to shink a large fibroid, so we could do it laparoscopically. My second Lupron shot was one week late, the third and final shot, 15 days late- due to insurance and communication issues within my doctor s office. I am having severe pain from fibroid. Doctor performed a manual exam last week, and told me the fibroid did not shrink. She says it has nothing to do with the shots being late. I m not convinced. Can you adequately tell if the fibroid did or didn t shrink with a manual exam? (MRI and ultrasound tests were done in May, prior to Lupron therapy) But no imaging since.
posted on Fri, 22 Aug 2014
Twitter Thu, 28 Aug 2014 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 28 Aug 2014 Last reviewed on
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Radiologist,  's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.

It is important to know the size of fibroid before treatment. Manual examination is not the precise technique to say if a fibroid has shrunken or not. This is because there will always be a lack of accuracy when doing a physical examination. Even the same doctor may not be able to differentiate the size, besides fibroids are usually not felt even during pelvic examination unless they are at the cervix or are very big.

Getting an imaging test is recommended for you to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
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Can Manual Examination Tell If Fibroid Has Shrunk Or Not?

Hi, Thanks for writing in. It is important to know the size of fibroid before treatment. Manual examination is not the precise technique to say if a fibroid has shrunken or not. This is because there will always be a lack of accuracy when doing a physical examination. Even the same doctor may not be able to differentiate the size, besides fibroids are usually not felt even during pelvic examination unless they are at the cervix or are very big. Getting an imaging test is recommended for you to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.