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Fibroid Treatment Decision Question List

A plain question list for fibroid care decisions, with prompts for watchful waiting, medicine, procedures, surgery, fertility goals, anemia, side effects, follow-up, insurance, referrals, and tracking.

Use this list when fibroid care choices come up. It helps you ask clear questions. It does not tell you which path to choose.

Bring your symptom notes, imaging reports, and main goals. Ask your clinician to explain each option in plain words.

Start with your goal

Fill this in before the visit.

Question Your note What symptom do I most want help with? What symptom disrupts daily life most? Am I worried about anemia? Am I worried about pressure or bladder symptoms? Do fertility or pregnancy goals matter now? Do fertility or pregnancy goals matter later? What care choice worries me most? What cost or access issue may matter?

Questions for any option

Ask these before you compare paths.

What symptom is this option meant to help? What symptom might it not help? What do we know from my exam or imaging? Where are the fibroids? How large are they? Could location affect the choice? What are the main risks? What side effects should I watch for? What would make us stop or change the plan? How will we know if it is helping? When would we review the plan? What should I track at home?

Watchful waiting questions

Watchful waiting means monitoring without starting a treatment at that time. Ask if it fits your case.

Why might monitoring fit or not fit my symptoms? What symptoms would change the plan? How often should we check in? Would I need repeat imaging? What bleeding changes should I report? What pressure symptoms should I report? Should I track anemia symptoms? What should I do if symptoms get worse before follow up?

Medicine questions

Use this section if medicine is discussed. Do not start, stop, or change medicine from this sheet.

What symptom is this medicine meant to help? Is it for bleeding, pain, pressure, or another goal? How soon would we review it? What side effects should I report? What side effects are urgent? Could it affect my cycle pattern? Could it affect fertility goals now or later? Could it interact with my other medicines or supplements? What should I do if I miss a dose? What happens if it does not help enough? How long is this plan usually reviewed for my case?

Procedure questions

Use this section if a fibroid procedure is discussed.

What type of procedure is this? Which fibroids would it target? Which symptoms might it help? Which symptoms might remain? What imaging is needed first? What are the main risks? What side effects or recovery symptoms should I expect? How could it affect fertility or pregnancy goals? Would I need time off work, school, or care tasks? What follow up would I need? Could fibroids come back or keep growing? What would make surgery a better or worse fit?

Surgery questions

Use this section if surgery is discussed. Ask for plain terms.

What surgery are we discussing? What tissue or organ would be removed or changed? Which symptoms is it meant to help? What are the main risks? What are the limits? How could it affect future pregnancy? How could it affect periods? What recovery time should I plan for? What help would I need at home? What follow up would I need? Are there less invasive options for my case? Should I get a second opinion or specialist referral?

Fertility and pregnancy goal questions

Use this section only if it matters to you.

How could each option affect pregnancy now? How could each option affect pregnancy later? Could fibroid size or location affect pregnancy goals? Should I talk with a fertility specialist? Should I ask about a uterus sparing option? What timing issues should I know about? What should I track while deciding?

You do not have to share fertility goals if they do not fit your visit.

Anemia and bleeding questions

Heavy bleeding can affect daily life. Ask what testing fits your case.

Do I need a complete blood count? Do I need iron or ferritin checked? Could bleeding be causing fatigue or dizziness? Which symptoms should make me call sooner? What level of bleeding is urgent for me? How should I track clots or flooding? Should I bring a bleeding log to follow up?

Use the fibroid bleeding and clot log if bleeding is your main symptom.

Side effect and follow up questions

Ask how the plan will be checked.

Question Your note What side effects should I track? What symptoms are urgent? When is the follow up visit? What labs or imaging may be repeated? What would count as enough improvement? What would count as not helping? Who do I call with questions?

Insurance, cost, and referral questions

Care choices can depend on access. Ask early.

Do I need a referral? Do I need prior authorization? Which office handles insurance paperwork? What codes or names should I ask my insurer about? Is imaging needed before approval? Is a specialist needed? How long is the wait for that visit? What costs should I ask about before scheduling? Who do I call if coverage is denied?

What to track while deciding

Track enough to make the next visit useful.

Track Why it helps Period start and end dates Shows timing and length. Heavy days Shows when bleeding peaks. Clots and flooding Shows daily disruption. Anemia symptoms Shows possible effects of blood loss. Pelvic pressure Shows pressure pattern. Bladder and bowel symptoms Shows symptoms beyond bleeding. Pain score Shows severity over time. Medicines tried Shows what changed and when. Side effects Shows what to report. Missed work, school, sleep, or plans Shows daily impact.

Use fibroid symptom tracking, fibroid cycle changes, and heavy bleeding with fibroids for more context. Use the fibroid symptom checklist, pressure and bladder log, and ultrasound question list when you need a shorter tool.

Privacy limited notes

Decision notes can include bleeding, sex, fertility, pregnancy, insurance, and surgery concerns. Share the smallest useful record.

Ask:

What data do you need for this decision? Is a one page symptom summary enough? Do you need full cycle history? Will this go in my medical record? Can I leave out private notes?

Read the fibroid data privacy checklist before sharing a full export.