Source: Sola Ogundipe

Dr Abayomi Ajayi

As Nigeria joins the global community in marking Fibroid Awareness Month, women across the country are being urged to explore safer, non-invasive options for treating fibroids—especially through the innovative High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) technology.

This call was made by Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, MD/CEO of the Fibroid Care Centre, Lagos, who announced that the Centre has successfully treated 730 women using HIFU. The procedure offers an alternative to traditional fibroid surgery by using focused ultrasound waves to destroy fibroid tissue without incisions, anesthesia, or hospital stays.

Changing the Narrative Around Fibroids

Dr. Ajayi emphasized that Nigerian women need to rethink conventional approaches to fibroid treatment that default to invasive surgery. He criticized the persistent misconceptions that link fibroids directly to infertility.

“Fibroids cause infertility in less than 5% of cases,” Ajayi clarified. “Many women with fibroids still get pregnant and deliver successfully. We must stop assuming that removing fibroids is always necessary for fertility.”

He explained that most fibroids do not interfere with fertility unless they block the fallopian tubes or occupy the space in the uterus where a baby should grow, which can lead to miscarriage rather than infertility.

HIFU: A Game-Changer in Reproductive Health

Describing HIFU as a game-changer, Ajayi noted that the treatment allows patients to resume their normal activities within 24 to 48 hours, with no blood loss, stitches, or hospital admission.

“With HIFU, women return home the same day and go back to work within a week. It’s safe, precise, and uses ultrasound—not radiation,” he said.

The two absolute contraindications for HIFU are:

1. Suspected cancer in the pelvic area or fibroid itself.
2. Inability to lie on the back for at least two hours during treatment.

Relative contraindications, he explained, include:

• Severe obesity (due to limitations on ultrasound penetration depth),
• Posterior fibroids (harder to reach),
• Liposuction history (potential organ displacement),
• Communication challenges during the procedure,
• Submucous fibroids (which may require a combination with hysteroscopy).

Hope for Fertility and Quality of Life

Ajayi affirmed that many women treated with HIFU have gone on to conceive and deliver safely. The procedure preserves fertility, improves quality of life, and reduces recovery time compared to traditional surgeries like myomectomy or hysterectomy.

“With a lifetime fibroid risk of 70–80% for Black women by age 50, we must ask ourselves—should we continue business as usual, or adopt innovations that protect women’s lives and fertility?”