How does one find a fibroid specialist?

I agree, it is a difficult process. Most of the hospitals and clinics around here in the Seattle don't include very substantial information on their doctor profile pages about their expertise. Since OB/Gyn training and practice revolves around surgeries for multiple conditions I think they don't differentiate between procudures. But we as patients desiring uterus saving procedures know that there is a complexity here with the issues of blood loss, adhesions, retaining fertility, etc. that make us want someone who is passionate and fully vested in the outcome of our procedures.

I recently reread Sex, Lies and the Truth About Uterine Fibroids
and in it Carla mentions that some states have databases tracking medical procedures. Here is one of the examples mentioned in the book:

Center for Medical Consumers (NY)

Not all states track this information that it could even be published, that's another place where we need to weigh in and try to get our state legislators to help get us better information.

That said, it still seems like it is hard to find a doctor. There used to be a site that would allow patients to rate their doctors on a variety of criteria but I believe that was bought out by WebMD and it doesn't include that information anymore. Here are links to some directories that might be useful:

uterinefibroids Board Physician Database
Contains names of doctors that have been mentioned in the messages posted to this list with the number of the message to refer to -- inclusion in the database does not qualify as an endorsements of any of the practitioners however.

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists Physician Directory

WebMD Physician Directory

AMA Physician Select

You can also find out about licensed doctors in your state by visiting the state medical board web site; do a search to find the link.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine has a page with links to a few other directories on it....

AMSR: Find a Doctor

MEDICAL RECORDS
Oh, and while we are on the subject, make sure that you request and keep copies of all of your records from the various doctors you see. You can then make copies to take with you if you confer with multiple care providers and it is helpful to be able to refer to them as well. Each State determines how much the clinic is allowed to charge for copies of the records but it seems to average around 75 cent to a dollar per page in my experience. To keep costs down just request the most relevant test results but you may want to have copies of all the chart notes as well. Each clinic will have a slightly different process for requesting records, sometimes a form or sometimes just a letter will do, and most of the ones I've been in contact with accept faxes.

The CDC -- hysterectomy info but no fibroid info

You all will like this one, the other day I was looking through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (aka the CDC) website and I was surprised to find no mention of uterine fibroids. One would think that at the very least they would provide links to some of the other government heath websites (such as the ones listed in their response to me). There are other topics missing as well but my correspondence with them focused on fibroids. Read on...

My question submitted through their web form:

How is it possible that you have hysterectomy listed on the CDC website as a condition yet you don't have any listing for uterine fibroids? Since uterine fibroids are far more common than hysterectomy, and fibroids are also a disease while hysterectomy is a procedure, I would expect that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to provide information for the former. Women need more
information about this condition -- prior to developing uterine fibroids.

Response from the CDC:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding uterine fibroids.

The Division does not have information for consumers on this topic. However, the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) may be able to provide this information to you.

There are two ways to obtain information from NWHIC. You may call their toll-free number to speak with an Information Specialist (800-994-9662 or 888-220-5446 for TDD services) from 9 am to 6 pm (Eastern Standard Time), Monday through Friday. At any time, you may view and search their website (http://www.4woman.gov ) at any time.

Two other Federal information services may be helpful if you have access to Internet services. The National Library of Medicine offers MedlinePlus (http://medlineplus.gov), which provides extensive health information for consumers, including dictionaries, health information in Spanish, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and links to thousands of clinical trials. Another general information service is the Department of Health and Human Service's HealthFinder (http://www.healthfinder.gov), a searchable guide to general health information. Many public library systems provide Internet access to local residents needing assistance or access.

Please accept our apologies for not being able to fulfill your request.

Public Inquiries Group (knb)
Division of Reproductive Health
NCCDPHP/CDC

Information about the endometrial lining and menstruation.

There is a substance produced in the uterus which is supposed to help prevent clots from forming, it is called fibrinolysin. When the blood flows too quickly (profusely) the anti-clotting fibrinolysins can't keep up and clots form. Heavy bleeding is called menorrhagia.

"Blood clots or flooding are indications of heavy loss. Normally the blood lost from the vessels in the lining of the womb forms small clots and this tends to reduce the flow. The small blood clots within the uterus are broken down by chemicals called fibrinolysins and the normal menstrual loss should be a fluid. When the bleeding is heavy, the blood is extruded too quickly for it to clot within the uterus. In this situation, the blood clots in the vagina and the menstrual flow includes blood clots. Whilst menstruation is inevitably an inconvenience, it should not result in limitation of social activity."
http://askwaltstollmd.com/archives/menstruati/95779.html#95952
(This doctor had his licensed revoked but the information seems valid so I included it, you will see mention of it if you scroll down through the previous link so I thought I would link to this page FYI: (http://askwaltstollmd.com/faq.html)

Check out these two interesting pages with detailed descriptions and diagrams of how the endometrium forms each month, for your reference:

NORMAL MENSTRUATION

THE ENDOMETRIUM

For more information search with these key words in different
combinations (such as "endometrium anti-clotting"):

menorrhagia, endometrium, fibrinolysin, anti-clotting