CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — Ascension St. Vincent Carmel is the first hospital in the state to offer fibroid removal without cutting the skin.

The procedure uses a radio frequency to reduce the growth of fibroids or noncancerous growths in the uterus; it can help countless women.

Millions of women get fibroid treatments each year. One in every 3 women who menstruate develop fibroids in their lifetime. Fibroids are common in women who menstruate, and they cause abnormal bleeding, anemia, fatigue, fertility issues, and discomfort during sex. The common treatment is a hysterectomy, which is removing the uterus entirely, but there’s now another option.

Erin Kent’s period pain was so excruciating she dreaded that time of month and had to plan her life around it. “I think first and foremost it’s the pain. It’s just like the cramping, the intense pain, followed by heavy bleeding.”

Kent’s heavy bleeding and pain were caused by fibroids in or around her uterus.

“When I found out I had multiple fibroids it was alarming, especially the size of them.”

Kent says one of her fibroids was the size of a grapefruit. She initially went through painful surgery called myomectomy to remove her fibroids, but they grew back. So, she met Dr. Maram Said who told her of another approach.

The doctor said, “If you are having fibroids, please don’t give up on the idea of seeing the specialist because some of us are offering these nonhysterectomy, nonhormonal options and tools such as radio frequency oblation.”

It’s called transcervical fibroid ablation; it’s also called TFA in the medical community.

The patient is first placed under anesthesia. A thin tool is inserted inside her cervix. The doctor then pinpoints an abnormal fibroid and the radio frequency is used to shrink the growth. All is done without a single cut on the skin.

Said said, “In real time, directly treating into each of those abnormal fibroids, and that’s the beauty of this. I’m going through each individual abnormal fibroid and reduce the flow of volume and bulk by targeting it with radio frequency.”

The doctor says the procedure takes 20 minutes to about an hour, depending on how many fibroids a patient has. The women can get back to normal activities in two days. Within a few months, Said said, the fibroids will shrink.

“So often, it’s the quality-of-life issue, and I really mean it when I say it. So when you look at how much of my time do I spend planning — Am going to work today? Am I going through another pair of pants, is it going through my sheets? Am I so heavily bleeding that it effects my plans of my life? — so, of course, it’s going to make a difference.”

Kent says it’s changed her life completely. Instead of heavy bleeding from seven to 10 days, it’s normal to medium flows in as few as five days. “What’s crazy is I have minimal bleeding and almost no cramping. I tell my friends I have no cramps during my period, and they’re like ‘What?’”

For Kent, getting the transcervical fibroid ablation done was a no-brainer. It was a better option than a hysterectomy, and that’s why she wanted to share her story to other women. She called it “a whole-body just reset, which is crazy.”

The average cost of the transcervical fibroid ablation is about $9,000 depending on insurance.