The hormonal changes women undergo to reach adulthood means the full development of the reproductive system, which through menstruation, intercourse, and pregnancy is essential in starting a family. The uterus is vital to that process.
But uterine fibroids can develop and affect your fertility.
If you live in the Lake Mary, Florida, area and you’re struggling with uterine problems like fibroids, Dr. Christopher Quinsey and our experienced team can help relieve the symptoms and treat the problem.
To shed some light on the confusion about the condition, let’s examine some basics about these fibroids, their causes and symptoms, and various myths and facts about them.
These growths are generally made of muscle and tissue and can grow in several parts of your uterus, such as:
They can even form with a stalk or stem in rare instances (pedunculated). But the condition itself is common enough that as many as 80% of women have some form of these growths, most often between ages 30 and 50.
The condition is often asymptomatic, so you can have fibroids and never know you did. Additionally, they are referred to as tumors, but are most often noncancerous.
The overall causes of this condition are not entirely understood, but the factors most associated with them are hormonal and hereditary.
In the case of the former, estrogen and progesterone can cause uterine lining regeneration that can stimulate fibroids. With the latter, you have a higher risk of developing fibroids if your mother, sister, or grandmother developed them.
Other factors include being overweight and over age 30. If you’re African American, you have a higher risk than women of other races.
Small fibroids may not have any signs, but when you get symptoms, you can expect:
Here are some things people get confused about regarding uterine fibroids:
Fact: These growths are referred to by many names, like fibromas, myomas, leiomyomas, and uterine myomas, as well as tumors. But because the term “tumor” is associated with cancer, you might incorrectly assume that fibroids are cancerous.
Cancers can be mistaken for fibroids, but that’s rare.
Fact: While the condition happens far less frequently as you enter your menopausal years and it’s more common starting in your 30s, it’s a good idea to get checked for fibroids as young as your early 20s.
Fact: Uterine fibroids can certainly be painful and make you feel miserable at times, but the chances of infertility as a result of them is remote. They can make it harder to get pregnant, but aren’t likely to prevent it.
Fact: There are a number of ways to treat these growths, including hormone treatments, medications, and surgical procedures outside of hysterectomies (myomectomy, uterine artery embolization, radiofrequency ablation, and ultrasound surgery).
Hysterectomies are only in cases of severe problems with fibroids that we can’t manage any other way.
Uterine fibroids are common, can make your life unpleasant, but are generally not dangerous and aren’t likely to prevent you from getting pregnant. If you’re struggling with them and need help, make an appointment with Dr. Quinsey and our team today.
