A
fibroid is a type of tumor or growth that can be found in a
woman’s uterus or ovaries. Fibroids are generally benign,
meaning
that it is usually not associated with the development of
cancer.
Around
half of all women
have some type of fibroid; however, most fibroids will not cause any
symptoms, leaving many women unaware that they even have them until
they are encountered by a doctor during a routine pelvic exam.
Fibroids
are also known by the medical community as Myoma, Leiomyoma and
Fibromyoma.
The 5 different
types
Fibroids
are classified into five separate types depending on where they are
located…
- Intracavity myomas:
These types of growths are located inside the cavity of the uterus and
may cause bleeding in between periods along with painful cramping. If
intracavity myomas prove to be troublesome, they can usually be
removed through a process known as a hysteroscopic resection
- Submucous myomas:
These benign tumors can be found growing partly in the cavity and
partly in the uteran wall and can also cause pain and bleeding between
periods. They can also be removed via hysteroscopic resection.
- Intramural myomas:
These types of fibroids can be found growing on the uterine walls and
have been found to be anywhere in size between a pea and a
grapefruit. Unless they get oversized and bothersome, these
tumors generally do not cause any symptoms and usually do not need to
be treated. Most women will not even know that they have them.
- Subseros myomas: The
fibroids are found growing on the outside of the uterine wall.
- Pendunculated myomas:
These are fibroids that are attached to uterus by a stem or
stalk. These type of fibroids are generally easiest to remove through
the use of a laparoscopy.
Fibroids
can come in many
different sizes from pea sized growths to giant tumors that can make a
woman look five months pregnant. The growth rate of fibroids can also
vary greatly. Some will stay the same small size for years, while
others will grow at a rapid rate quickly becoming a problem. Sometimes
pregnancy can end up causing preexisting fibroid to three to five fold
bigger than it previously was. This is thought to happen due
to
the increase levels of estrogen present in the body during a pregnancy
as well as other pregnancy related factors that contribute to the
increase in size. These fibroids will generally shrink back to their
previous size after the pregnancy. While some fibroids grow
with
pregnancy, other fibroids can make it difficult for pregnancy to
happen. The most common symptoms associated with fibroids are
pelvic pain and heavy menstrual bleeding.
80% of women over the age of 50 have uterine fibroids and if you
include the smallest of growths, some studies suggest that all women
have them by the time they reach menopause. Most women that have
fibroids generally have more than one type and sometimes there can be
many as fifty different fibroids present. In fact, a solitary fibroid
is much less likely than multiple ones. Some menopausal women
have shown a slow increase in the size of their fibroids when they take
extra estrogen while others have noticed no change at all.
At a
1:750-1000 chance, cancer rarely develops in a fibroid. Some data
even suggests that cancer will not form in a preexisting fibroid but
develop instead in a a part of a uterus that is not a fibroid.