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Uterine fibroids are the most common type of non-cancerous, benign, tumors of the uterus. Uterine fibroids are made up of normal uterine muscle tissue that grows in abnormal ways. Fibroids typically attach to the lining of the uterus or develop with the uterine wall. Fibroids typically grow as a cluster of tumors or masses, however they can occur as a single tumor and they tend to develop very slowly. What causes uterine fibroids is unknown at this time, but physicians believe that these tumors develop as a result of abnormal reactions to the hormone estrogen or abnormally high levels of estrogen. However, this explanation does not completely account for the occurence of uterine fibroids as many women with normal estrogen levels develop uterine fibroids.

There are no known risk factors for developing uterine fibroids; other than only women of reproductive age develop fibroids and the incident level is significantly higher in women over 40. Approximately 25 to 30 percent of women over the age of 40 develop uterine fibroids and African American women are three- to five-times more likely to develop uterine fibroids then white women. Additionally, evidence shows that uterine fibroids in African American women tend to develop earlier and grow more quickly. It\’s interesting that studies also show that the incident rate among women of the same age group in Africa is significantly lower than that of their African American counterparts.

Most women do not experience fertility issues associated with uterine fibroids, and as a result are able to get pregnant. However, evidence suggests that there may be a higher risk of miscarriage during pregnancy. During pregnancy, existing uterine fibroids may grow, but it appears that pregnancy does not increase the rate of new fibroid development. Evidence suggest that the use of oral contraceptives may cause fibroids to increase in size.

There are 5 types of uterine fibroids: submucosal, intramural, subserosal, pendunculated, and parasitic fibroids. Submucosal fibroids develop below the lining of the uterus and can cause excessive bleeding during menstruation and pelvic pain. Intramural fibroids develop within the wall of the uterus and cause the uterus to enlarge as the fibroids grow. Subserosal, or subserous, fibroids develop on the outer wall of the uterus and usually will only result in symptoms if the tumors grow large enough that they interfere with other organs. Pendunculated fibroids result when a subserous fibroid develops a stem which can then become entwined causing acute pelvic pain. Parasitic fibroids, while rare, occur when a fibroid tumor adheres to another organ.

Most women do not experience any symptoms associated with uterine fibroids. However, uterine fibroids can cause excessive menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, discomfort during intercourse and frequent urination in some cases. While pelvic pain can be attributed to uterine fibroids, the pain generally occurs only during a woman\’s menstrual cycle. Possible treatments for uterine fibroids include: myomectomy, hysterectomy, UFE, hysteroscopy, resection of myomas and other methods. However, these treatments are not necessary in all cases. Today, uterine fibroids are listed as the most common reason for performing a hysterectomy. Hysterectomy, like many other common treatment forms, may have unwanted side effects and complications. Before a woman elects to have a hysterectomy for the treatment of uterine fibroids, she should explore all possible treatments in determining which option is best for her individual situation.

Want to find out more about fibroids, then visit Donna Andrews\’s site on how to choose the best fibroid treatment for your needs.

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