Uterine Fibroids – Symptoms, Diagnoses, And Treatments

Fibroids are benign tumors that form to the walls of the uterus. At some rare cases they can be also malignant. However, in the case they develop rather large, these tumors can be painful and cause very unpleasant symptoms for the sufferer.

They can be very little, as small as a pea, or as large as a cantaloupe. In cases where they are extremely large, surgery is often the best remedy for removal.

Often, using surgery means hysterectomy. In this procedure the whole uterus is removed. While fibroids often develop in women who have passed their childbearing age, this option is easier to choose. There are many typical symptoms of uterine fibroids.

It is not uncommon that you have small fibroids without even knowing about them. When you experience symptoms, the most common ones include heavy periods, frequent need of urination, abdominal pain or bloating, back pain, constipation, and painful intercourse.

It is recommended to consult your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. They may indicate the presence of uterine fibroids. If you have large tumors, your doctor may be able to diagnose them. However, smaller tumors are not that easy to find, and in those cases further investigations are needed.

An ultrasound is a common way to get better diagnosis from uterine fibroids. However, it doesn’t provide any information about the quality of the fibroid. Even though it is rare that fibroids are malignant, they can develop cancerous if left untreated. If there is any doubts that these tumors are malignant, surgery may be required to take a sample from the tumor.

Large tumors that press against your bladder or colon can cause a need of frequent urination or constipation. Also, if the fibroids are not treated, and they cause heavy bleeding, there is a real risk of anemia.

Usually, there is no need for any treatments if fibroids are small and they don’t cause any serious symptoms. It is also common that these fibroids shrink and disappear spontaneously.

There are several fibroids treatment options to choose from. There is always surgery, but there are other non-surgical treatments that will help with pain from fibroids, and help them to shrink. Some medicines will help with the pain during menstruation, and help reduce heavy bleeding.

Many women who have fibroids still want to have children one day. For those women, hysterectomy is not an option. One option for them might be radiofrequency ablation. In this medical procedure a needle is inserted straight into the fibroids, and with a help of electrical energy they are trying to shrink.

If your symptoms indicate that you have fibroids, it is wise to go visit a doctor. In this way you are able to make a proper treatment plan before the situation develops more serious.