Roger Harms, M.D., Mayo Clinic specialist in obstetrics-gynecology

I can't say that I would agree with an age limit, because I think that all treatment should be individualized. The decision in regard to treatment is something that should be done as a team between the patient and her physician, and she should be well-informed about what the options are. It is true that many women in their 40s have completed their family and that myomectomy cannot be considered definitive treatment because there is always the potential of regrowth of a new fibroid after the operation. So with the knowledge that a myomectomy may not be totally effective, in a woman who is not fearful of losing her uterus, a hysterectomy might be preferable. However, this would be formed by many variables that pertain to that woman at that particular stage in her life.

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