Uterine Fibroids 101

Many women have uterine tumors. Uterine fibroid tumors also called leiomyomas effect up to 25% of all women during the course of their reproductive life.  Most uterine fibroid tumors are benign, but can cause problems with fertility and bleeding.

Uterine fibroid tumors are made up of flat muscle cells and fibrous tissue and growth on the wall of the uterus. They can grow in different places in the uterus like the lining, between muscles, or towards the exterior of the uterus. Fibroids can grow in groups known as clusters or as individual tumors. They can vary a great deal in size and shape.

Scientists do not know what causes fibroid tumors. They tend to run in families and therefore have some genetic factor. Other causes are thought to be related to hormone fluctuation  and exposure to different things in the environment. While the majority of fibroid tumors are not cancerous, some have become cancerous in rare cases. Many women opt to have fibroid tumors removed to prevent the possibility of cancerous tumors developing.

Most women who get fibroid tumors will get them in their 30’s or 40’s. The signs of having fibroid tumors are excessive menstrual bleeding, bleeding between periods, a feeling of fullness in the abdomen, and sometimes a back aches. Women who become pregnant while having a fibroid tumor are at greater risk to miscarriage and the presence of the fibroid can complicate fertility issues. African American women and women who have never given birth are more likely to develop fibroid tumors.

The doctor will diagnose fibroid tumors with a pelvic exam. Often this will be followed by a CAT scan or MRI to indentify the extent of the fibroid tumors present in a women’s uterus. The doctor most likely then will do a uterine fibroid embolization UFE the main treatment for uterine fibroid tumors is uterine fibroid embolization (UFE).  They take a small tube and insert in into an artery in the uterus and use small beads to cut off the blood supply to the fibroid. This causes the fibroid tumor to shrink.

Uterine fibroid tumors are something that women today do not need to live with. If you have excessive menstrual bleeding or bleed between periods you may want to have the doctor see if unwanted fibroids are the culprit.