What Are Uterine Fibroids: Symptoms and Causes

Introduction

Uterine fibroids, which your health care provider may call leiomyomas or myomas, veins that should stop the flow of blood from a flesh developing inside additionally outside associated with the uterus. They are relatively common especially in women of childbearing age. Although typically benign, uterine fibroids can cause symptoms that are painful or otherwise decrease the quality of a woman's life. In the following blog, we will break down what uterine fibroids are and some of their symptoms including what you need to watch for & when to seek medical attention.

What Are Uterine Fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are benign muscular masses that grow in the walls of your uterus. Ovarian cysts come in many sizes, from as small as a seed to larger than a melon. Fibroids can range in size from so small that it is only possible to see the fibroid through a microscope, too large enough that the entire belly starts.‌ Women may have just one single fibroid or many growths. Fibroids can also lie in a variety of places — within the uterine cavity, inside of the wall or on its outer surface.

Types of Uterine Fibroids:

1. Intramural Fibroids: These are the most common, and they grow within the muscular wall of your uterus. They can grow to be large and stretch the uterine.

2. Subserosal Fibroids—These fibroids develop on the outer walls of your uterus and project into your pelvic cavity. They can also grow very large and crowd out other organs.

3. Submucosal Fibroids — These fibroids are located just beneath the lining of the uterine cavity and can grow into the uterus. Fibroids that develop under the interior uterine lining—submucosal fibroids —may block menstruation and impede fertility.

4. Phases Pedunculated Fibroids-This type of fibroid happens when they grow on or inside the uterine. Some can form on the inner wall of the uterus, and some under/over (outside) the surface of Uterus.

Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

Fibroids are asymptomatic in many women, often discovered incidentally during a routine pelvic exam or imaging studies performed for other reasons. In some cases, they can be mild (or nonexistent), while in others the symptoms may vary from a little to quite severe and include:

1. Menorrhagia, or heavy menstrual bleeding, is one of the most common symptoms of uterine fibroids. Women who have fibroids may experience heavy, prolonged periods or spotting between cycles. This results in anaemia and chronic fatigue from major blood loss.

2. Pelvic Pain and Pressure: Fibroids cause the feeling of fullness or pressure in your pelvic region. This pain may be constant or it can come and go, seemingly getting worse during periods.

3. Low Back Pain: If the fibroids are large and located in your back uterus, you may have pain that radiates to your lower back or down thighs.

4. Frequent Urination: Should Fibroids press on the bladder this can cause a frequent need to urinate, especially if the complete amount of urine is not eliminated. This pressure can also result in incomplete voidance of the bladder.

5. Constipation: In case fibroids push against the rectum it can cause constipation or other bowel issues.

6. Pain During Sex: Fibroids located near the pelvis can make sex painful. This is also known as dyspareunia.

7. The Abdomen Will Become Enlarged: In cases where the fibroids grow large, they can cause an enlargement in the abdomen of a woman and this will make her look like she is either pregnant or has gained weight.

8. Problems with conception or pregnancy in women who have fibroids. However, submucosal fibroids can actually prevent an embryo from implanting or cause a miscarriage.

When to Call for Medical Emergencies

If you have any of the above symptoms, especially heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain or reproductive complications,you should see a doctor. Early identification and treatment of uterine fibroids can prevent complications, enhance fertility odds and quality of life.

Causes of Uterine Fibroids

The exact cause behind uterine fibroids is not completely a mystery but there are several factors which influence their formation. These factors include:

1. Hormonal Imbalance:

The menstrual cycle is controlled by oestrogen and progesterone, the hormones that signal to a woman’s ovaries.Related!This reproductive system explains how these cycles work. They can grow during the childbearing years when oestrogen and progesterone levels are high, and tend to shrink after menopause when hormone levels drop.

2. Genetic Factors:

It is now known that genetics also are a contributing factor to the development of fibroids. Having a family history of fibroids increases the chance that a woman will develop fibroids. Moreover, other genetic mutations are directly tied to the growth of fibroids.

3. Growth Factors:

Nodules in the body which help wounds, such as insulin-like growth factor may increase fibroid growth There growth factors may trigger proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the uterus.

4. Extracellular Matrix (ECM):

ECM is the stuff that surrounds cells in our body and keeps them together. This results in more ECM present in fibroid tissue compared to normal uterine myometrium, which can lead to increased stiffness and collagen content. The ECM also contains growth factors and may play a role in the fibrosis (thickening and scarring) of uterine tissue as well.

5. Inflammation:

One comorbid indicator — though emerging only very recently — is chronic inflammation, which has been advanced as a putative promoter of fibroid genesis. Some of these tumours appear to be caused by inflammatory substances that the body makes.

6. Other Risk Factors:

Age: Fibroids are common in women during their 30s and 40s (and may begin even earlier), and tend to shrink after menopause.

African-American women are more likely to develop fibroids than other ethnic groups and also tend to do so at a younger age.

Obesity: Obesity or being overweight increases the risk of developing fibroids, possibly because higher levels of oestrogen in the body may promote their growth.

• Diet: Long-term consumption of red meat, and not enough green vegetables, fruit dairy has been linked to a high chance for fibroids.

Conclusion

Uterine fibroids are a pesky gynaecological condition that can present in myriad ways, from heavy menstrual bleeding to pelvic pain and infertility. The precise root of fibroids is not known, but it develops due to various factors such as hormonal imbalances or genetics — and in some cases by the lifestyle itself.

If you think or feel that uterine fibroids are happening with and in your body, then get some help. Immediately diagnosis and proper management can minimise the symptoms, as well as prevent complications.

Call to Action

If you are having symptoms of any kind related to uterine fibroids, ask a healthcare provider for advice whenever something about your reproductive health bothers you. A prompt intervention can always bring a significant amount of change in the management as well improvements towards your health.