How to treat uterine polyp to prevent cancer

The most effective treatment for uterine polyp is sometimes to remove the uterus, although polyps can also be removed through cauterization and polypectomy. The most effective treatment choice depends on the woman's age, whether she has symptoms or not, and whether she takes hormonal medications. Treatment options for uterine polyps can be:

1. Observation only

Sometimes, the doctor may only indicate the observation of the polyp for 6 months, especially when he has no symptoms such as prolonged, intermenstrual bleeding, cramps or a foul-smelling discharge. In these cases, the woman should have a gynecological consultation every 6 months to see if the polyp has increased or decreased in size. This behavior is more common in young women who do not have any symptoms related to the uterine polyp.

2. Surgery to remove the uterine polyp

Polypectomy through surgical hysteroscopy can be indicated for all healthy women, as polyps can make implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus difficult, which reduces the chances of pregnancy. Surgery to remove the uterine polyp can be done in the doctor's office with local anesthesia, and you must remove the polyp and its basal layer because this decreases the risk of developing cancer. See what recovery is like after polyp removal surgery.

In women after menopause, uterine polyps generally have no symptoms, although they can cause vaginal blood loss in some women. In these, polypectomy is very effective and the polyp rarely returns, although it is at this stage that there is a greater risk of developing cancer. The only way to know if the uterine polyp is likely to be malignant is through biopsy, which is recommended for all women who have developed polyps after menopause. The older the woman, the greater the chances of developing endometrial cancer.

3. Withdrawal of the uterus

Withdrawal of the uterus is a treatment option for women who do not wish to have more children, have severe symptoms and are old. See what happens after the uterus is removed.

However, this surgery is not recommended for young women, who have not yet had children, being more indicated in these cases to remove the uterine polyp through cauterization and polypectomy, which also removes its implantation base.

The doctor and the patient can discuss the possibilities of treatment, taking into account the risk of developing cancer, the presence of unpleasant symptoms and your desire to become pregnant. The doctor should reassure the patient and inform that after the removal of the polyps, they may reappear, although there is a greater possibility of this happening in young women who have not yet entered menopause and who show symptoms, because after menopause rarely the uterine polyp reappears.

What is the risk of uterine polyp becoming cancer?

Uterine polyps are benign lesions that rarely develop into cancer, but this can happen when the polyp is not removed or when its implantation base is not removed. Women who have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer are those who were diagnosed with uterine polyp after menopause and who have symptoms.

Signs of improvement

In asymptomatic women, signs of improvement can only be observed during the examination in which the doctor verifies that the uterine polyp has decreased in size. In women who have symptoms such as abnormal bleeding, signs of improvement may include normalization of menstruation.

Signs of worsening and complications

Signs of worsening may arise when there is an increase in the intensity of menstrual flow or loss of vaginal blood between two periods. In this case, when noticing these symptoms, the woman must go back to the doctor to check if the uterine polyp has increased in size, if others have appeared or if her cells have mutated, which can cause cancer, which is the worst complication that the endometrial polyp can cause.