Uterine polyps are well-treated using naturopathic medicine.

Uterine polyps are growths, ranging from millimeters to centimeters in size, attached to the inner wall of the uterus and protruding into the uterine cavity. They most commonly occur in women in their 40s and 50s.

Although it is not known what causes uterine polyps, they increase in size when exposed to estrogen.

Uterine polyps may affect fertility.

Seek professional healthcare if you experience vaginal bleeding after menopause, between menstrual periods or have irregular menses.

Symptoms of Uterine Polyps

Possible symptoms of uterine polyps include:

• Irregular menstrual bleeding
• Bleeding between menstrual periods
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Menstrual bleeding after menopause
• Infertility 

Treatment of Uterine Polyps at Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine

At Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of uterine polyps treatment are to shrink uterine polyps and decrease or eliminate excessive vaginal bleeding.

Conventional treatment for uterine polyps may include surgery, and a variety of medications, including gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. These treatments may have short- or long-term side effects.

For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional medications, or together with conventional medications in order to decrease dosages of conventional medications required to manage your uterine polyps symptoms.

Naturopathic treatment of any chronic health concern must be recognized as a process that involves:

• Identifying specific treatment goals
• Development by your naturopathic doctor, of a thorough understanding of all factors affecting your health, including physical, psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors
• Development of a comprehensive treatment plan
• Implementation and maintenance of that plan through periodic monitoring and adjustment

At Toronto Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, a typical approach to treating uterine polyps may be to:

• Identify and address underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., use of certain medications) or general health (e.g., high blood pressure, obesity) that may contribute to development of uterine polyps
• Reduce and prevent recurrence of polyps by correcting hormonal imbalances using metabolic detoxification protocols or botanical (herbal) medicines

Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:

• Nutritional counseling
• Nutritional supplements
• Metabolic detoxification protocols
• Botanical (herbal) medicines
• Acupuncture
• Homeopathy
• Bowen Therapy
• Suikodo™
• Hydrotherapy
• Exercise prescription
• Relaxation (meditation) training
• Lifestyle medicine and counseling

Treatments provided by naturopathic doctors are covered by most extended healthcare plans.

References

Uterine polyps [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; [cited 2009 Feb 18]. Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/uterine-polyps/DS00699.