Q: I am a 49 years old woman and my sonography showed 3 small fibroids 6 months back; the largest one is of 2 x 3 cm size but now it is 3 x 4 cm. Is hysterectomy necessary? If yes, is it urgent or can I wait for 3-4 months?

A:Fibroids are very commonly seen in women of reproductive age. By and large, they do no harm. Not all women with fibroids need treatment and there are many fibroids, which can be left alone. They normally shrink after a woman goes through menopause.

At the age of 49 years, I would advise that you do not need any treatment for the fibroids you have - with the largest one being 3x4 cms (only!). It is highly unlikely that these fibroids will cause you any symptoms. In fact these fibroids may have been there for a very long time and were picked up when you had a scan 6 months back.

If you have occasional pain in lower abdomen, and there is no other obvious cause identified (apart from these tiny fibroids) then you can take pain-killers for symptomatic relief. As I mentioned earlier, these fibroids will shrink once you go through menopause. Even if you have already had menopause, they do not need surgical treatment.

You certainly do not need hysterectomy. For your reassurance, you may repeat another scan in 6 months time.