What Are the Symptoms and Treatment Methods of Fibroids?

What Is a Fibroid?

Fibroids are benign pelvic tumors that usually appear during the reproductive years and are the most common tumors in women. These tumors originate from the smooth muscle cells of the uterus and from cells called fibroblasts. Many women go through life unaware of their fibroids, as they usually cause few symptoms. However, fibroids may be detected during a prenatal ultrasound performed by an obstetrics and gynecology specialist.

Why Do Fibroids Form?

Although the exact cause of fibroids is not known, studies have identified some risk factors. These are as follows:

Genetic factors: Studies have shown that fibroids have a familial predisposition.

Race/Ethnicity: The frequency of fibroids is higher in Black women than in White women.

Childbirth: Pregnancies lasting beyond 20 weeks reduce the risk of fibroid formation.

Starting menstruation at an early age (before 10 years old) increases the risk.

Birth control pills: While standard or low-dose birth control pills do not increase the risk, methods containing only progesterone reduce the risk of fibroid formation.

Obesity: An increased body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of fibroid formation.

Diet: Red meat consumption increases fibroid formation, while green vegetable consumption has been shown to reduce the risk.

Alcohol consumption: Alcohol consumption increases the risk of fibroid formation, while no clear relationship has been demonstrated between smoking and fibroid formation.

What Are the Symptoms?

Most fibroids are asymptomatic. The symptoms that occur may vary depending on the location, size and number of the fibroids.

In addition;

Pelvic pain

Constipation, frequent urination or difficulty urinating due to pressure

Bloating

Inability to conceive and miscarriage

They may lead to conditions such as these.

What Are the Diagnosis and Treatment Methods?

Diagnosis: During examination, fibroids that have reached large sizes may be detected by palpation. Since they arise from the uterus, they may be felt as a large mass. Their size, location and number can be determined by ultrasound. In some cases, an MRI scan is requested from the patient.

Treatment: Fibroids that have reached large sizes or cause complaints in the patient, and/or fibroids that continue to grow in the postmenopausal period, should be treated. In suitable patients, embolization (blocking of the blood vessels feeding the fibroid) may be performed by interventional radiology. However, fibroids are generally treated surgically. At this point, the surgical method to be applied may vary depending on the location and size of the fibroid. Those on the inner wall of the uterus can be removed by the hysteroscopic method, while those within the uterine wall or close to the outer wall, called the serosa, or pedunculated fibroids, can be treated by the laparoscopic method. However, in cases where the fibroid is very large or not suitable for laparoscopy, open surgery is preferred.