Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

What Are Uterine Fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are also referred to as myoma, leiomyoma, leiomyomata, and fibromyoma, are non-cancerous tumors that grow within the muscle tissue of the uterus. It is estimated that somewhere between 20 and 50% of women of childbearing age have uterine fibroids, and although many women do not experience problems with them, in some cases they are severe enough to treat.

They range in size from that of a very small coin all the way up to a tumor that has the ability to expand the uterus to the size of a woman at seven months gestation in pregnancy. They come alone or can be clustered. In general, the watch-and-see attitude prevails in terms of treatment and for almost 80% of women who chose this method there were no major changes to their health or physical activity after a one year period. After menopause, bleeding stops, the size of the fibroids decrease and surgery or intervention becomes less necessary.

The Symptom of Heavy Bleeding

The symptoms of increased and heavy bleeding during menses are most frequently seen with submucosal uterine fibroids. These fibroids develop just beneath the lining of the uterine cavity and are the ones that cause fertility problems, miscarriage, and heavy bleeding. One of the reasons for heavy bleeding is that the fibroids do not allow the uterus to contract adequately to be able to close off the blood vessels, so there's a greater loss of blood. Another possible cause of this symptom is the production of proteins that make blood vessels grow close by, and other proteins that cause expansion of the blood vessels, therefore more blood is lost after menstruation begins.

Pressure, Pain, and Discomfort

Pelvic pain or pressure, pain during intercourse and pressure on the bladder are all possible symptoms of fibroids. A uterus that is normal in size lies well down into the pelvis, just under the bladder and above the rectum. It is surrounded by the intestines. The growth of uterine fibroids may cause the expansion of the tumor or the uterus to put pressure on any or all of these organs. Fibroids that grow towards the back can cause back pain, pressure on the rectum and even constipation. Intercourse may become quite uncomfortable as well. Fibroids that grow toward the front of the uterus put pressure on the bladder, causing the need for frequent urination. The good news is that fibroids do not tend to cause any damage to the organs.