About Uterine Fibroids
Uterine fibroids are benign growths on the muscular wall of the uterus. They can be tiny in size (like a marble) or grow huge and fill up the entire uterine cavity. Some fibroids are as large as a five-month pregnancy. There are certain facts that women should know about uterine fibroids.
They are:
- Fibroids can occur at any age, but are most common between ages 40-50.
- Common symptoms are prolonged or heavy periods, pelvic pain and pressure, abdominal swelling, pressure on the bladder leading to frequent urination, pressure on the bowel leading to bloating, and infertility. (Note: These can also be the symptoms of ovarian cancer, so seeking a diagnosis is critical.)
- Fibroids are almost always benign (noncancerous). Fibroids do not increase the risk of cancer.
- There is a possible link between fibroids and estrogen production.
- Forty percent of women over age 35 have fibroids.
- Women who are African American or who have a mother with fibroids are more likely to get fibroids.
- Women who are overweight or eat red meat are at higher risk for fibroids.
- Fibroids are diagnosed with an ultrasound and sometimes MRI.
- Uterine fibroids can be treated with surgery like hysterectomy or myomectomy (removal of just the fibroid).
- Embolization is another way to treat fibroids and has an overall success rate of 94 percent. It’s done through a small incision and an agent is injected into the artery that cuts off the blood supply to the fibroid, causing it to shrink away.
You can learn more about fibroids here and more about treatment with embolization here.
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
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