April 19, 2010 – The Fibroid Treatment Collective (FTC) has launched an annual observance called Fibroid Awareness Week scheduled this year for April 19-23, which is dedicated to education about fibroids that affect upwards of 50 percent of all women.
Concern for the high number of unnecessary hysterectomies and dissatisfaction with other treatment outcomes led Bruce McLucas, M.D., founder of the collective and a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist, to become a non-surgical treatment advocate. His goal, and the mission of FTC, is to ensure women with fibroids know all the options when it comes to treatment. FTC advocates embolization as a safe alternative to other fibroid treatments.
In gynecology, embolization is used to reduce bleeding during uterine surgery. Founding members of the Fibroid Treatment Collective also noticed it shrinks fibroids. The promise of an effective, noninvasive treatment led to research, trials and medical acceptance. Today more than several hundred thousand women world-wide have found relief with this safe, simple procedure. The Fibroid Treatment Collective performed the very first fibroid embolization in America, and has perfected the procedure with thousands of successful treatments to date. Dr. McLucas is one of the only gynecologists in America accredited in the skills necessary to perform embolization.
Several special events will highlight the week, including a Fibroid Treatment Seminar on Wednesday, April 21 in Pasadena, Calif., at 6:00 p.m. and a national Fibroid Treatment Webinar, at 5 p.m., Friday, April 23. Both are free, and reservations can be made at www.fibroids.com.
Uterine fibroids can affect women of all ages, but are most common in women ages 40 to 50. “We felt the best way to reach out to almost half the women around the world who may have symptoms of fibroids was through an annual educational observance and to disseminate accurate and timely information about diagnosis and treatment,” said McLucas. “The Fibroid Treatment Collective was founded 12 years ago to educate women about fibroids and various treatment options,” he added.
Women interested in learning more about Fibroid Awareness Week can join a national live chat Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST at www.fibroids.com.
For more information: www.fibroids.com