Uterine Fibroid - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Fibroids are common, benign growths of womb (uterine) muscle. They are present in around 1/4-5 of white women and 1/2 black women. They are most common toward the end of the reproductive years. They exist sometimes singly, but most often are multiple and range in size from microscopic to filling the whole of the lower abdomen! They are more common in obese women and those who have no children, there probably is some genetic determinant and they are less common in smokers.
Causes of Uterine Fibroid
Uterine fibroids develop from the smooth muscular tissue of the uterus (myometrium). A single cell reproduces repeatedly, eventually creating a pale, firm, rubbery mass distinct from neighboring tissue.
African-Americans are 2-3 times more likely to present with symptomatic uterine fibroids and typically will do so at a younger age than the rest of the population of women with uterine fibroids.
Average age range for fibroids to become symptomatic is 35-50.
Fibroids can be tiny and cause no problems, but they can also grow to weigh several pounds. They grow slowly. Some women with many fibroids may have an inherited tendency toward developing them.
Signs And Symptoms Of Uterine Fibroid
You may not even know you have fibroids. But depending on how numerous they are, how large they are, and where they’re located, your symptoms might include heavy menstrual bleeding and severe cramping, pelvic pain, bleeding between periods, pains in the legs, abdominal bloating, backaches, miscarriage, infertility, and pain during intercourse.
lower-abdominal pressure, often described as an achy or heavy feeling or associated with the need to urinate more frequently
Treatment of Uterine Fibroid
Watchful waiting
If you’re like most women with uterine fibroids, you have no signs or symptoms. In your case, watchful waiting (expectant management) could be the best course. Fibroids aren’t cancerous. They rarely interfere with pregnancy. They usually grow slowly and tend to shrink after menopause when levels of reproductive hormones drop
Uterine artery embolization is a new procedure aimed at preventing the need for major surgery. The method stops the blood supply that makes fibroids grow. The long-term effects of this procedure are still unknown, and the safety of pregnancy after this procedure is questionable.
A laparotomic myomectomy (also known as an open or abdominal myomectomy) is the most invasive surgical procedure to remove fibroids. The physician makes an incision in the abdominal wall and removes the fibroid from the uterus. A particularly extensive laparotomic procedure may necessitate that any future births be conducted by Caesarean section.
