Hello, my name is Janet Nelson and I'm one of the nurses who works very closely with the Fibroid Clinic. Today I'm going to answer some common questions you may have about visiting the Fibroid Clinic.
What should I expect when coming to the Fibroid Clinic? Your initial fibroid consult is completed with one of our Mayo Clinic gynecologists using telemedicine, also called a virtual consultation. During that discussion, we will help you decide which follow-up visits and testing are best for you. Often it will be recommended to visit us in person to continue your fibroid work up and make final decisions regarding treatment. The physician you meet on your virtual consultation will refer you to the fibroid specialist who best suits your needs based on your individual situation and goals.
What types of things may happen during my Fibroid Clinic visit? When you come in for a follow-up visit in-person at the Fibroid Clinic, it will be similar to a traditional gynecology office visit, except it will be seen by a specialist and the type of fibroid treatment you are most interested in and the visit will be focused primarily on fibroid care. Your doctor will often want to perform an abdominal or pelvic examination to assess your fibroids. We will determine if you are do for any other testing such as a pap smear or endometrial biopsy, both of which can be performed that day in the office. By the end of the visit, the Fibroid Clinic team will help you plan next steps for your care.
Can I schedule other visits, tests the same day? We will work with you and make your visit to Mayo Clinic as productive and efficient as possible. If updated imaging such as an ultrasound or MRI is necessary, we will schedule this prior to or the same day as your Fibroid Clinic in-person visit. Also, if you have other health care needs unrelated to fibroids that you would like to address while you are visiting Mayo Clinic, please let your physician know during your virtual consultation and we can help arrange visits with other Mayo Clinic specialists for you as well.
What happens if I want to schedule a surgery for my fibroids? If you decide surgery is the best option for you, the surgical booking process can be completed during your in-person Fibroid Clinic visit. After discussing the surgery with your physician, one of the Fibroid Clinic nurses will walk you through the scheduling process and describe how to prepare yourself for a surgical procedure. We will discuss what to eat before surgery, what to do with your regular medications, and how to prepare for recovery at home after your procedure. In some cases, especially for those patients who are coming from a distance, we can potentially hold a date for surgery based on your virtual consultation as well.
What sort of follow-up visits will I need? If you schedule a surgical procedure for fibroids, you will have a postoperative visit around three to four weeks after surgery. Although we always like to see patients back in person, in some cases it may be possible to complete your post-op visit via a virtual visit. If you are undecided about the best treatment plan for your fibroids after completing your initial consultation in the Fibroid Clinic, we will offer you a follow-up visit with one of our fibroid clinic nursing specialist approximately one month later to answer any questions you may have and help arrange any treatment that you would like to pursue.
Where can I go for more information? Please visit our website for more details on the Fibroid Clinic and contact information can be found on MayoClinic.org. Thank you.