Fibroids: common symptoms and their treatments

Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus which frequently appear during your childbearing years. Also called fibromyomas, leiomyomas or myomas, uterine fibroids aren't involved with an greater threat of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer.

As many as 3 out of 4 women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives, but most are unaware of them because they often cause no symptoms. Your health practitioner may discover them incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound.

In general, uterine fibroids cause no difficulties and rarely used features require treatment. Medical therapy and surgical procedures can shrink or remove fibroids if you have discomfort or troublesome symptoms. Rarely, fibroids can require emergency treatment if they cause sudden, sharp pelvic pain or profuse menstrual bleeding.

In women who have symptoms, the most common symptoms of uterine fibroids include:

Heavy menstrual bleedingr
Prolonged menstrual periods — seven days or more of menstrual bleedingr
Pelvic pressure or painr
Frequent urinationr
Difficulty emptying your bladderr
Constipationr
Backache or leg painsr
Rarely, a fibroid can cause acute pain when it outgrows its blood supply. Deprived of nutrients, the fibroid begins to die. Byproducts from a degenerating fibroid can seep into surrounding tissue, causing pain and fever. A fibroid that hangs by a stalk inside or outside the uterus (pedunculated fibroid) can trigger pain by twisting on its stalk and cutting off its blood supply.

Fibroid location influences your signs and symptoms:

Submucosal fibroids. Fibroids that grow into the inner cavity of the uterus (submucosal fibroids) are thought to be generally responsible for prolonged, heavy menstrual bleeding and are a problem for women attempting pregnancy.
Subserosal fibroids. Fibroids that project to the outside of the uterus (subserosal fibroids) can sometimes press on your bladder, causing you to experience urinary symptoms. If fibroids bulge from the back of your uterus, they occasionally can press either on your rectum, causing constipation, or on your spinal nerves, causing backache.

See your doctor if you have:

Pelvic pain that doesn't go awayr
Overly heavy or painful periodsr
Spotting or bleeding between periodsr
Pain with intercourser
Problems emptying your bladderr
Difficulty moving your bowelsr
Seek prompt medical care if you have severe vaginal bleeding or sharp pelvic pain that comes on suddenly.