Common Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

Uterine Fibroids are benign tumors that are found mostly in the uterus of a woman.  These tumors are found in almost 50% of the women and are not so serious to cause any major problems.  They mostly go unnoticed.  It has been found that women under the age of 20 rarely get affected by Uterine Fibroids. 

There are basically four types of Fibroids that are found in uterus – Myometrial, submucosal, subserosal and penduculated.  They are present in various parts of the uterus.

As stated above, there are very less symptoms to diagnose Uterine Fibroids.  But the symptoms which are most common are as follows –

·        Bleeding between periods.  There is abnormal bleeding if the tumors are near the uterus lining.  This bleeding is painful and causes prolonged periods.  This excessive bleeding can cause anemia.

·        Frequent Urination.  This is another symptom of Uterine Fibroid.  A woman has the urge to go to the toilet quite often and at times this frequency is intolerable leading to embrassement.

·         Pelvic cramping is quite commonly associated with Uterine Fibroids.

·        Pain is also felt at the time of intercourse and sexual activity.

·        There is a pressure on the rectum during defecation leading to severe pain.

These are the common symptoms that can be seen in Uterine Fibroids but at times even these are not felt.  A Uterine Fibroid is normally diagnosed only at the time of physical examination or some non-related test.

For diagnosing this disorder, a pelvic examination can be conducted to view the shape of the uterus or womb.  At times ultrasonic examination is preferred.  In the final testing, an endometrial biopsy can be prescribed.

Uterine Fibroids normally does not pose any serious problems to the woman.  But a close watch has to be kept on the growth of these fibroids as they may grow at a faster rate thus causing some complications, especially during pregnancy.  Normally, these fibroids are treated with medications and at times surgery is prescribed if they grow out of control.  At such times, it is required to remove these tumors.

The exact causes of Uterine Fibroids are still not known, but factors such as Genetic abnormalities, hereditary factors, growth and abnormalities in the blood system as well as Race of the person can be some causes of Uterine Fibroids in women.