A member of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in America, Dr. Maureen Muoneke is a former attending physician in obstetrics and gynecology at Seton Medical Group. Dr. Maureen Muoneke has provided health care for female patients at various age groups and has treated and managed various reproductive disorders, including symptomatic uterine fibroids and polycystic ovary disease.
Common among older women, uterine fibroid, also known as myoma or leiomyoma, can result in a variety of obstetric complications. Often, the surgical approach to treating uterine fibroid can affect a woman’s fertility, and for this reason, the choice of treatment will also be determined by whether or not a patient desires to preserve their fertility.
Depending on the location and size of the fibroid, about 30 to 40 percent of fibroid cases exhibit symptoms; However, many uterine fibroids are asymptomatic. Some symptoms, such as menstrual bleeding, result in subsequent anemia, which can be life-threatening. Large fibroids can exert pressure on the bladder, which may lead to bladder dysfunction resulting in urinary incontinence and increased daytime urinary frequency. Dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain are some common symptoms of uterine fibroids. In some cases, uterine fibroids result in infertility and recurrent miscarriage due to distortion of the uterine cavity, which often results from the fibroid developing at the uterine wall and mucous membrane of the uterus. Constipation, bowel dysfunction, and low back pain can also result from uterine fibroid.
Dr. Maureen Muoneke 