Treating Uterine Fibroids

Fibroids are cellular growths on the wall of the uterus.  They are almost always non-cancerous and are very common.  The majority of women will get some form of fibroids during their lives and most of them will have no problems as a result.  Some uterine fibroids are tiny and cause no trouble.  Some, however, grow to be very large and cause a lot of problems.

Causes of fibroids
The precise cause of fibroids is unknown, although there are many theories.  What is known is that both estrogen and progesterone must be present in order for fibroids to grow.  Once a woman reaches menopause, fibroids will no longer be able to grow and cause problems.

Symptoms of fibroids
Many women never have any of the symptoms of fibroids. The ones who do experience symptoms often have large fibroids.  Some of the most commonly experienced symptoms are heavy menstrual bleeding, painful stomach, uterine, and back cramps, urinary difficulties, and bladder pressure.  Anemia is very often a result of the heavy menstrual periods caused by some fibroids.

Women who do experience symptoms need to seek medical treatment, especially those who experience heavy bleeding during their menstrual cycles.  Anemia occurs rapidly with the loss of large amounts of blood and must be treated.  Occasionally, fibroids will grow so large that they block the ureters, which are tubes that transport urine to the bladder.

Treatments for fibroids
Many options are available for the treatment of uterine fibroids.  For many women, treatment is not even necessary.  Once fibroids are discovered, the physician will just keep a check on them to make sure they don’t start causing problems.  If women are near menopause and aren’t having problems, the fibroids will often shrink once menopause starts.

For women with large fibroids that are causing problems, surgery might be the only possible solution.  If fibroids block the ureters, interfere with blood circulation, or cause severe anemia, it might be best to remove them.  Fibroids can be removed by using a surgical procedure called a myomectomy.  This procedure removes only the fibroid and does not involve taking the uterus or the ovaries.  Hysterectomies are frequently performed on women who have major problems with their fibroids.  These surgical procedures do involve removal of the uterus and, very often, the ovaries as well.

Medications
There are some medications that physicians prescribe to treat the symptoms of fibroid tumors or to temporarily decrease their size.  Sometimes, women who are near menopause will take medications that decrease the tumor size long enough for them to actually reach menopause.  This is done because fibroids will usually cause no problems once a woman’s menopausal stage is reached.  This buys them time in order to avoid having surgery.

If you are one of the many women who have fibroid tumors, be sure to see your physician regularly to ensure that the tumors are not growing at a fast pace.  If you are one of the less fortunate who have large fibroids that are causing you problems, then a consultation with your physician should be scheduled to determine the best course of treatment for you.

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