Can myomectomy be suggested for perimenopausal women before administering hormone replacement therapy?

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether abdominal myomectomy could be a choice for patients with symptomatic fibroids above the age of 48 years, who wish to get hormonal replacement therapy and desire to retain their uterus.

METHODS

We performed 504 abdominal myomectomies between 1990 and 2004. The mean age was 33+/-4.09 years, 9 (1.8%; 9/504) patients were above 48 years and 6 (1.19%; 6/504) of them requested hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) after the enucleation of fibroids. Data of these nine cases were compared to a matched control group of patients who had hysterectomy in the same year in 3 months to those who underwent abdominal myomectomy with same indications for surgery, same location, size and number of fibroids. The main aim of our study was to compare perioperative morbidity, duration of hospital stay between myomectomy and hysterectomy groups and determine the recurrence of fibroids and/or symptoms in 1 year with HRT in the myomectomy group.

RESULTS

The perioperative morbidity did not differ between the compared groups. In the myomectomy group with 1-year HRT we did not observe the recurrence of fibroids and symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that abdominal myomectomy may be a satisfactory option for perimenopausal women with symptomatic fibroids who wish to retain their uterus and get HRT.