Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are benign growths that can form on the interior muscular wall as well as the exterior of the uterus. This disorder involves not only the uterus but sometimes the cervix as well. The term fibroid may be somewhat misleading because the tumor cells are not fibrous. The are abnormal muscle cells. Their positon within the uterus determines what they are called – submucosal, intramural, or subserosal. It is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of all women develop fibroid turmors.

For reasons not yet understood, they tend to form during the late thirties and early forties, and then shrink after menopause. This would seem to suggest that estrogen is involved in the process. However, all women produce estrogen, but only some develop fibroid tumors. Most women who have fibroid tumors never even know it, unless they are discovered during the course of a routine pelvic examination. In roughly half of all cases, fibroid tumors cause no symptoms at all. In other cases, however, these growhts can cause abnormally heavy and frequent menstrual periods. Other possible signs and symptoms include anemia, bleeding between periods, fatigue and weakness as a result of blood loss, increased vaginal discharge, and painful sexual intercourse or bleeding after intercourse. Depending upon their precise location, fibroids can cause pain in the legs, back, and/or pelvis, and exert pressure upon the bowels or the bladder, or even block the urethra, producing kidney obstruction.