Fibroids are the most common noncancerous tumors of the reproductive tract and the most common cause of hysterectomy in the United States. As many as 70% to 80% of women experience fibroids during their reproductive years, and about half of those women are symptomatic. Those symptoms can include debilitating menstrual cycles, frequent urination, infertility, and painful intercourse.

UConn Health is the first and currently the only health system in Connecticut to offer a state-of-the-art, incisionless, transcervical solution for the treatment of uterine fibroids. The first cases debuting the Sonata® procedure took place this past May under the care of OB/GYN Dr. Amanda Ulrich, and the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (MIGS) team.

For Jaime Sanchez of Meriden, the procedure came at the right time to avoid a high-risk surgery and change her quality of life.

Sanchez has suffered from fibroids since she was a teenager, enduring debilitating periods and pain, even causing a miscarriage before the birth of her daughter, one of her four children all delivered by c-section.

“It was hard to go anywhere without fearing a bleed-through at any given time,” says Sanchez.

Several years ago, she had a myomectomy, a surgery to remove fibroids, and tried a hormonal IUD that thins the lining of the uterus and lightens heavy periods while also providing very effective contraception. It is not a treatment for fibroids, but it can mitigate fibroid symptoms. Still, as she got older and with a history of c-sections, her symptoms became worse, with heavy, painful periods.

Last year, she became physically ill and went to the Emergency Department (ED) where her hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues at a normal range is 12–15 g/dL, was at a low 6 g/dL. She was at risk of a heart attack and had a blood transfusion and iron treatment. The IUD did not stop the menstrual cycle, and soon she again started to have the symptoms that brought her to the ED prior. That’s when she and her practitioner agreed they needed to get her fibroid symptoms under control as she was losing too much blood.

“This is a game changer for females who suffer from fibroids,” – Jaime Sanchez

Traditional treatments for fibroids have included medical and hormonal therapy, hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), myomectomy (surgical removal of fibroids with the intent of not impacting the uterus), and uterine artery embolization (injections that block blood vessels around the uterus and shrink fibroids over time).

Her practitioner suggested a hysterectomy, and she sought out a second opinion with Ulrich. Unfortunately, the treatment of a hysterectomy was the only option at the time, however, Ulrich indicated that at UConn the procedure would be performed robotically as a minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Sanchez was extremely high risk, with a large uterus full of fibroids that had adhered along with the bladder to the anterior abdominal wall, and there was a high risk of injury to her bowels.

Her original surgery was scheduled for March but was rescheduled to May. At her pre-op visit, she was nervous; she knew she needed the hysterectomy and there was no other way, but it was a risky surgery, and she was scared. That’s when Ulrich said, “I have something new to show you.”

“Jaime came in for her pre-op and I had just taken the course for the Sonata when she sat down and she said, ‘I’m sure there’s nothing else we can do but I’m really nervous to have this major surgery.’ That’s when I showed her the brochure for the Sonata® and told her she would be a great candidate and our first patient,” says Ulrich.

“I couldn’t believe it. I now had another option besides the hysterectomy, and I knew Dr. Ulrich is such a great surgeon, I didn’t have any hesitation to be the first patient,” says Sanchez. “It was a godsend, and I don’t think that my surgery date being moved and Dr. Ulrich having this new technology all right before my surgery was a coincidence; it was divine intervention.”

The non-surgical Sonata® treatment uses radiofrequency energy to directly target the fibroids, shrink them, and significantly reduce common symptoms like heavy and painful menstruation.

During the treatment, a handpiece with a high-resolution intrauterine ultrasound is used to locate, target, and treat individual fibroids through radiofrequency ablation while leaving the uterus and endometrium intact.

The Sonata Treatment is a breakthrough alternative to hysterectomy and myomectomy and can treat a wide range of fibroid types, sizes, and locations. The fibroids are treated from inside the uterus, so the Sonata Treatment requires no incisions to the abdomen, no tissue is surgically removed, and the uterus is preserved.

The treatment can be performed under sedation and general anesthesia is usually not required for most patients. No incisions are made, which results in less pain, less bleeding, and faster recovery for patients. The procedure itself can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the number and type of fibroids being treated. This new procedure is proven to reduce symptoms while getting half of the treated women back to their normal activities the next day and the average return to work is two days.

Sanchez felt fine the next day and since the treatment, had one period that consisted of some spotting, and no pain or cramping. Her uterus and the fibroids have begun to shrink.

Clinical studies demonstrate that nearly 90% of women showed a reduction in menstrual bleeding at three months and 95% with a reduction at 12 months. More than 50% of women return to normal activities the next day. Additionally, 94% of patients were satisfied at two and three years after the procedure.

“I knew I was Dr. Ulrich’s first patient but didn’t know I was the first in the state until my follow-up appointment. I had so much confidence in Dr. Ulrich, she was always thorough, honest, and comforting,” says Sanchez. “This is a game changer for females who suffer from fibroids.”

UConn Health is a designated Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology. This prestigious recognition sets UConn Health apart from the rest, as the rigorous accreditation marks the global standard for superior surgical care. UConn Health also conducts cutting-edge research, offering patients the most advanced procedures, and works closely with colleagues in other specialties, including colorectal surgery, urology, urogynecology, radiology, and physical therapy to optimize patient care and improve outcomes.

For more information about services and treatments provided at UConn Health OB/GYN or to make an appointment with one of our doctors, visit Charlotte Johnson Hollfelder Center for Women’s Health at UConn Health or call (866) 328-8086.