Many patients with adenomyosis find that their uteruses are significantly larger than normal on their ultrasound reports, with some appearing to be two, three, or four months pregnant to varying degrees. This is why many people list an enlarged uterus as one of the main symptoms of adenomyosis.

Consequently, many people believe that reducing uterine size equates to recovery from adenomyosis. However, this needs to be clarified. Some doctors mislead patients by claiming that the only cure for adenomyosis is for the uterus to return to its normal size.

In fact, "uterine reduction" is not the sole criterion for curing adenomyosis.

What is adenomyosis?

Adenomyosis is when the endometrial glands and stroma invade the muscular layer of the uterus, forming diffuse or localized lesions. It can be either localized or diffuse, with most patients having the diffuse type. As the condition progresses, the uterus also enlarges, often accompanied by increasingly severe dysmenorrhea and anemia. Patients may become anxious and fall into the misconception that if the uterus is reduced in size, it means adenomyosis has been treated successfully. This leads many to seek desperate measures to reduce the size of the uterus, hoping to treat it.

Although medication and injections can reduce the size of the uterus, the lesions of adenomyosis still exist within the uterus. With ongoing treatment, the uterus can be seen to reduce in size, sometimes even alleviating dysmenorrhea. However, once the treatment stops, the uterus may grow even faster, and the dysmenorrhea may worsen.

Is using medication and injections to reduce the size of the uterus ineffective?

Actually, reducing the size of the uterus can still be useful in some situations, such as:

The first scenario involves the use of an IUD. If you're not planning on having surgery yet and want to use an intrauterine device (IUD) for birth control, but your uterus is slightly enlarged, making it easier for the IUD to fall out, the doctor might suggest using a drug to reduce the size of the uterus before inserting the IUD.

The second scenario involves IVF. For those wanting to conceive via in vitro fertilization (IVF), doctors might recommend reducing the size of the uterus. The IVF doctor should make this decision. However, don't believe other doctors who claim that reducing the uterus size is a cure for adenomyosis. Reducing the size of the uterus doesn't really affect the treatment of adenomyosis, so don't unthinkingly attempt it, as the only one who suffers will be yourself.

Fuyan Pill is a traditional Chinese medicine formula that includes a variety of natural herbs. Its effects include clearing heat, detoxifying, invigorating the blood, dissipating stasis, and reducing inflammation. It can also alleviate various discomfort symptoms and treat adenomyosis.

Whether adenomyosis is cured should be comprehensively assessed based on several aspects:

1. Whether secondary dysmenorrhea disappears after treatment,

2. Whether the size of the uterus shrinks to a certain extent after treatment,

3. Whether menstruation occurs after treatment,

4. Whether symptoms of anemia improve and eventually disappear after treatment,

5. After ruling out other diseases that could cause an increase in CA125, whether CA125 slowly returns to normal values after treatment.

These can serve as reference conditions for whether adenomyosis is cured, rather than simply using the reduction in uterus size as the standard. If the uterus shrinks but the lesions are still inside, the reduced uterus can still enlarge again (once medication stops or after some time). Don't just focus on reducing the size of the uterus; use the size of the uterus as the standard for effectiveness.

A reminder to everyone, it's best to consider the overall recovery of the body when treating adenomyosis, and not be misled.

Recommended Readings:

Can Adenomyosis Cause Bleeding During Intercourse? What Are the Causes of Bleeding?

Can Primary Dysmenorrhea Progress to Adenomyosis?

Will Having Adenomyosis Make You Age Faster?