Relief from 236 fibroids comes with Guinness Record for Bengaluru woman

BENGALURU: A 34-year-old woman from Bengaluru has entered the Guinness World Record for getting 236 fibroids successfully removed from her uterus. Sakra World Hospital in Bengaluru’s Dr Shanthala Thuppanna had removed the fibroids on 6 October 2021 while the record was announced on Friday.

Ritika Sharma, a native of Bengaluru, and an aspiring author was suffering from abnormal menstrual bleeding and had an enlarged abdomen resembling eight-month-old pregnancy due to the different sizes of the fibroids. She was diagnosed with 236 fibroids, which included a large cauliflower shaped fibroid measuring up to 20X20X10 cm. 

In a four-and-a-half-hour surgery, Dr Shanthala, Senior Consultant & Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology performed a myomectomy and removed all the fibroids. The previous record was of 186 fibroids which was removed from an Egyptian woman in 2016. Dr Shanthala said, “It was a complicated surgery since fibroids were located below the urinary bladder and ureter and were spread throughout the left side of her uterus and very near to important structures in the abdomen.” Ritika said, “This is an unexpected event and I would like to thank the staff of the hospital for giving me the best clinical advice.”