They are not cancer. Fibroids can grow on the inside of the uterus , within the muscle wall of the uterus , or on the outer surface of the uterus. They can change the shape of the uterus as they grow. This can make it hard for you to get pregnant. As women get older, they are more likely to have uterine fibroids, especially from their 30s and 40s until menopause.
Most have mild or no symptoms. But fibroids can cause bad pain, bleeding, and other problems. The cause of fibroids is not known. But the hormones estrogen and progesterone can make them grow. A woman's body makes the highest levels of these hormones during her child-bearing years.
After menopause, when hormone levels decrease, fibroids often shrink or disappear. Depending on the reasons you need treatment, one type of treatment may work better for you than another. Myomectomy, which is surgery to take out just the fibroids, can decrease pain and other symptoms. It also may make it possible for you to get pregnant. Taking out fibroids decreases menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain from fibroids. It may improve your chances of having a baby. Fibroids tend to grow back, unless you have your uterus taken out.
New fibroids also can grow. Fibroids return in up to half of women who have surgery to take out just the fibroids. They are more likely to come back if you had many fibroids. Cutting into the uterine wall during this surgery can cause problems in a future pregnancy.
There could be a problem with the way the placenta grows, such as abruptio placenta or placenta accreta. During labour, the uterus might not work like it should.
This could mean that you would need a caesarean delivery. Hysterectomy, which is surgery to take out the uterus, cures fibroids. But it's usually the last choice for treatment, because it's major surgery and it makes you unable to get pregnant. Having this surgery means that you will no longer have menstrual periods.
The ovaries and fallopian tubes also may be taken out at the same time. Talk to your doctor if you are not close to menopause about age 50 and you're thinking about having your uterus and ovaries taken out. Experts say that women live longer when they keep their ovaries until at least age This may be because women who have their ovaries have fewer hip fractures and are less likely to get heart disease.
Most women do not have problems after either surgery to treat fibroids. But problems can include:. These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers.
They may be helpful as you make important health decisions. Uterine fibroids made me miserable for a week to 10 days every month. Since my husband and I did not want any more children, I decided it was time to take action. Not only was the pain getting to me, but I was losing enough blood that I had anemia I couldn't beat. I was tired all the time! I knew a hysterectomy was the only sure cure for the pain caused by uterine fibroids.
My doctor talked with me about the discomfort and risks of a hysterectomy. She also said she might have to remove my ovaries. I had a hysterectomy, and my ovaries were removed. The first 2 weeks after the surgery were pretty rough, but my family and I managed. I now take estrogen every day. It's been a year since my surgery, and I feel great. My periods were really painful about 5 years ago. I went to my doctor, and he asked a lot of questions about my periods and did an examination and some tests.
When all the tests came back normal, he said uterine fibroids might be the cause of my pain. He said the only sure treatment for uterine fibroids was a hysterectomy. I didn't want to have surgery, so I asked if waiting a few months would be dangerous. He said waiting would be fine, and maybe I should try birth control pills and taking ibuprofen during my periods. After a few months, the pain eased up. I am glad I decided to wait and see if my pain decreased before having surgery.
I have large uterine fibroids and have had them since I was in my early 30s. They didn't cause any problems until I got pregnant with my first child. I went into labour about a month early, and my daughter had to spend several days in the intensive care unit. My husband and I would like to have one more child, but I want to avoid another preterm labour if I can.
My doctor has told me about a procedure called a myomectomy. It doesn't guarantee that I won't deliver early, but it may help. He will be able to remove the uterine fibroids from my uterus without taking my uterus out. I won't have to have a large incision in my abdomen either. I am looking forward to having this done. We will wait several months and then try to have another child. Some submucosal or subserosal fibroids may be pedunculated — hanging from a stalk inside or outside the uterus.
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during childbearing years. Also called leiomyomas lie-o-my-O-muhs or myomas, uterine fibroids aren't associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer. Fibroids range in size from seedlings, undetectable by the human eye, to bulky masses that can distort and enlarge the uterus. You can have a single fibroid or multiple ones. In extreme cases, multiple fibroids can expand the uterus so much that it reaches the rib cage and can add weight.
Many women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives. But you might not know you have uterine fibroids because they often cause no symptoms. Your doctor may discover fibroids incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound. Many women who have fibroids don't have any symptoms.
In those that do, symptoms can be influenced by the location, size and number of fibroids. Fibroids are generally classified by their location. Seek prompt medical care if you have severe vaginal bleeding or sharp pelvic pain that comes on suddenly. Doctors don't know the cause of uterine fibroids, but research and clinical experience point to these factors:.
Estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that stimulate development of the uterine lining during each menstrual cycle in preparation for pregnancy, appear to promote the growth of fibroids. Fibroids contain more estrogen and progesterone receptors than typical uterine muscle cells do. Fibroids tend to shrink after menopause due to a decrease in hormone production. Doctors believe that uterine fibroids develop from a stem cell in the smooth muscular tissue of the uterus myometrium.
A single cell divides repeatedly, eventually creating a firm, rubbery mass distinct from nearby tissue. The growth patterns of uterine fibroids vary — they may grow slowly or rapidly, or they may remain the same size. Some fibroids go through growth spurts, and some may shrink on their own. Many fibroids that have been present during pregnancy shrink or disappear after pregnancy, as the uterus goes back to its usual size. There are few known risk factors for uterine fibroids, other than being a woman of reproductive age.
Factors that can have an impact on fibroid development include:. Although uterine fibroids usually aren't dangerous, they can cause discomfort and may lead to complications such as a drop in red blood cells anemia , which causes fatigue, from heavy blood loss.
Rarely, a transfusion is needed due to blood loss. Fibroids usually don't interfere with getting pregnant. However, it's possible that fibroids — especially submucosal fibroids — could cause infertility or pregnancy loss. Fibroids may also raise the risk of certain pregnancy complications, such as placental abruption, fetal growth restriction and preterm delivery.
Although researchers continue to study the causes of fibroid tumors, little scientific evidence is available on how to prevent them. Treatment is truly individualized. Toggle navigation.
Pin 1. Appointments Pay My Bill Online. Pay your bill with a credit card. Schedule an Appointment Select an appointment date and time from available spots listed below. Some doctors may choose to also do an MRI of the pelvis as a way to see exactly where the fibroids are. It depends on symptoms and size. For example, if a woman has fibroids inside the uterine cavity, we may do a hysteroscopic myomectomy, in which we look inside the uterus with a camera.
If a woman has severe symptoms, and if the fibroids are in the muscle or outside of the uterus, surgery may be the best option.
In that case, robotic-assisted laparoscopic myomectomy is more common. This is a minimally invasive procedure that involves making four to five small incisions in the abdomen. We then use small instruments attached to robotic arms to remove the fibroids through these very small openings. In severe cases, a woman would have an open myomectomy, which is also called abdominal myomectomy. This surgery requires an incision either in the bikini area or a vertical incision along the abdomen.
We then remove the fibroids through this incision. Some nonsurgical management of uterine fibroids may include medicine that can help suppress their growth, such as birth control pills. There's also a medication called leuprolide acetate, which can help shrink them.
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