Fibroid Neither Spiritual Nor Death Sentence – Gynaecologist Advises Women

An Australian-based Nigerian Gyaenacologist, Dr Uche Menakaya on Tuesday said that fibroid was neither spiritual nor a death sentence and urged people to jettison the belief.

Menakaya said this while speaking with newsmen by the sideline of the ongoing “Coastal/Junic Gynaecologic Ultrasound training programme” in Warri.

He described fibroid as a denied growth of the muscles of the uterus which according to him was sometimes caused by hormonal imbalance in women.

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The Australian trained specialist Obstetrician, Gynaecologist and Sonologist said that the complication was more prevalent in the African-American clime noting that not all fibroid were problematic.

“Fibroid is very common in our population. My advice is that no spirit thing is attached to it. It is just an imbalance of the homones, it can be managed and not a death sentence.

“What the women need do is to get their ultrasound scan done to see if they have fibroid or not.

“If they have, know where they are, the size and choose a system of monitoring it overtime.

“If it is getting too big, the doctor can offer treatment options to manage it before it gets so big,” he said

The obstetrician said that most fibroid patients could conceive baby except when the complication affects the line of the uterus where conception took place during surgery.

He advised patients to do a rescanning after their surgery had been concluded.

Speaking on the training programme, Menakaya said the goal was to begin build the capacity of women’s health specialists with the required skill to provide ultrasound services at the point of care for patients.

“I have had the experience in providing ultrasound services at the point of care for women and with that, I want to contribute those skills to my colleagues in Nigeria .

“Before I move to Australia, I was in Nigeria and I have had experience back here in Nigeria and out there. I know what is lacking here and what we can do to improve on it.

“One of the key advantage for this training is that patients will have less visit to doctors. They will have the diagnosis and treatment options of their problem made at the first visit.

“In Nigeria, healthcare is a problem, therefore, reducing the frequency of your visit will also help to reduce the cost of healthcare.

“To the patients perspective, it is to their advantage and to the doctors, it will help them to streamline the workload as well rather than bringing the patient back over and over again.

“Doing everything in one visit can help them streamline their workload . It will also help them to improve the way they counsel the patients appropriately.

“Above all, the patients are more likely to contribute to the decisions making process because they are seeing what the doctor is seeing in the ultrasound,” he said.

Issues relating to gynaecology, handling of ultrasound equipment and others were extensively x-rayed by team of experts at the 3-day training.

Some of the instructors included: Prof. Bukar Mohammed, Dr Kingsley Agholor, Dr Janet Akinmoladun, Dr Menakaya among others.

Some of the participants commended the organisers and called for more training to move the nation’s health sector forward.