Uterine Fibroids, Causes of Fibroids, Prevention of Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are the benign tumors that develop from the muscles of the uterine wall. Fibroids are a common problem among many women, but you may hardly realize it since they often produce no symptoms. Fibroids are not a major health hazard. They often need no treatment and the presence of fibroids does not pose a risk of cancer. If your symptoms are worrisome, consult your gynecologist. Treatment may be with medicines or surgery or a combination of both.
Symptoms Some of the common symptoms are:
severe bleeding while menstruating or bleeding between periods, menstruating for more number of days, pain in the pelvic region, frequent urination or involuntary loss of urine, constipation, backache or pain in the legs and tiredness due to the blood loss.
Tell your doctor if you have sudden, unexplained severe vaginal bleeding or sharp pelvic pain. The symptoms that you may experience have chiefly got to do with where the fibroid has grown.
Submucosal fibroids: If you have symptoms like severe menstrual bleeding, it may mean that the fibroids have grown in the inner cavity of your Uterus. These are called submucosal fibroids. Subserosal fibroids: These fibroids grow and project outside your Uterus. If you have symptoms like frequent urination, backache or constipation, you may have subserosal fibroids.

What causes fibroids? It is still unclear as to what causes fibroids, although there have been many speculations on the topic. Researchers believe one or more of the following causes: Genetic predisposition: One theory is that some women carry the problem in their Genes and may inherit or be prone to the condition. If your mother or sister had fibroids, you too may be at risk. Hormones: Estrogen and Progesterone are hormones that prepare your uterine lining for a pregnancy. It is thought that these hormones cause growth of fibroids.

Pregnancy and fibroids In most cases, fibroids do not interfere with pregnancy and treatment is not necessary. By and large they do not hinder the process of getting pregnant or with your bodily changes during pregnancy, but fibroids can rarely cause infertility. Some of the ways fibroids can cause infertility are by: blocking your fallopian tubes, interfering with Sperm movement and preventing implantation and growth of an Embryo. A more common complication of fibroids in pregnancy is localized pain, usually between the first and second trimesters. This can be easily treated with pain relievers.

Complications Uterine fibroids are not very dangerous and are not a major health concern. But it can put you through some difficulties. For example, severe and heavy bleeding during your period can make you Anemic. On some occasions, if the fibroid grows out of your Uterus in a peculiar stalk-like projection, you may feel extreme pain when it twists on this stalk. Under these conditions, the fibroid will have to be surgically removed. Prevention Since the causes of fibroids remain vague, prevention methods are yet to be developed. Preventing fibroids may not be possible, but fortunately it is not a major health hazard and very rarely requires treatment. Treatment There are several ways to treat fibroids. Medicines can shrink some fibroids. Some women may need surgery. Consider all the options that you may have and choose the best one with the help of your doctor.

Uterine fibroids

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