Uterine fibroids are the most common type of non-cancerous, benign, tumors of the uterus. Uterine fibroids are made up of normal uterine muscle tissue that grows in abnormal ways. Fibroids typically attach to the lining of the uterus or develop with the uterine wall. Fibroids typically grow as a cluster of tumors or masses, however they can occur as a single tumor and they tend to develop very slowly. What causes uterine fibroids is unknown at this time, but physicians believe that these tumors develop as a result of abnormal reactions to the hormone estrogen or abnormally high levels of estrogen. However, this explanation does not completely account for the occurence of uterine fibroids as many women with normal estrogen levels develop uterine fibroids.

The only identified risk factors for developing uterine fibroids is that only women of child-bearing age develop fibroids and the ocurrence is dramatically higher in women over the age of 40. Approximately one out of every 4 women over age 40 develop uterine fibroids and, of that, Africian American women are 3- to 5- times more likely to develop fibroids then their white counterparts. Also, research suggest that Africian American women tend to develop uterine fibroids at a younger age and that the tumors tend to grow more rapidly. What’s of particular interest in researching uterine fibroids in African American women, is that studies indicate that the incident rate of fibroids in women of the same age group in Africa is considerably lower than that of their African American equals.

Most women do not experience fertility issues associated with uterine fibroids, and as a result are able to get pregnant. However, evidence suggests that there may be a higher risk of miscarriage during pregnancy. During pregnancy, existing uterine fibroids may grow, but it appears that pregnancy does not increase the rate of new fibroid development. Evidence suggest that the use of oral contraceptives may cause fibroids to increase in size.

There are 5 types of uterine fibroids: submucosal, intramural, subserosal, pendunculated, and parasitic fibroids. Submucosal fibroids develop below the lining of the uterus and can cause excessive bleeding during menstruation and pelvic pain. Intramural fibroids develop within the wall of the uterus and cause the uterus to enlarge as the fibroids grow. Subserosal, or subserous, fibroids develop on the outer wall of the uterus and usually will only result in symptoms if the tumors grow large enough that they interfere with other organs. Pendunculated fibroids result when a subserous fibroid develops a stem which can then become entwined causing acute pelvic pain. Parasitic fibroids, while rare, occur when a fibroid tumor adheres to another organ.

Although approximately 1 out of every 4 women develop uterine fibroids, most do not experience any symptoms. However, the typical symptoms experienced are: excessive bleeding during menstruation, pelvic cramping, pain during intercourse and frequent urination. While pelvic cramping can be attributed to uterine fibroids, the discomfort generally occurs only during the menstrual cycle. The treatments for uterine fibroids include: hysterectomy, UFE, hysteroscopy, myomectomy, resection of myomas, hysteroscopy, and other treatments. It should be noted that these treatments are not necessary in all cases. Today, uterine fibroids are listed as the most common elective reason for a hysterectomy. However, like other common treatments, hysterectomy may have undesirable side effects and complications. Therefore, a woman should thoroughly research all possible treatments before deciding which treatment is best suited for her needs.

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