Fibroids

What are fibroids?

Fibroids are benign growths (tumors) that develop in the uterus, most often during your fertile years. These growths are noncancerous and not always a cause for concern. At some point, more than 20% of women develop fibroids that may cause issues.

When fibroids grow, the uterus enlarges and becomes distorted. Fibroids can become large enough to cause heaviness, menstrual pain, abnormal bleeding and interfere with pregnancy. In some serious cases, larger fibroids can cause trouble with bladder or bowel function.

What causes fibroids?

A common hormone imbalance may contribute to the growth of fibroids in the uterus. Fibroids typically grow about 10-20% per year in size and in some cases become large enough to distend the abdomen as in pregnancy. Once a woman reaches the menopause phase, fibroids typically stop growing and can even shrink somewhat. 

You may also be at increased risk for developing fibroids due to your family history.

What are the symptoms of fibroids?

Many women will live their whole life with fibroids and never know they have them. However, if you have fibroids that grow too large or cause you pain, abnormal bleeding or other issues, you should seek expert advice and consider medical treatment.

In addition to pelvic pain, you may also experience fibroid symptoms like:

• Backache or pelvic heaviness
• Constipation
• Heavy periods
• Frequent urination

You may also have periods that last longer than normal and notice spotting in between your periods.

How are fibroids diagnosed?

If you have fibroids without any symptoms, your Swor Women’s Care provider may identify them during a routine pelvic exam.

If you do have symptoms common with fibroids, your provider will recommend an in-office live real-time ultrasound to get a better look at your uterus. In some cases, blood work may also be useful in ruling out other conditions that can cause heavy periods and other symptoms, such as a thyroid disorder.

What treatments are available for fibroids?

Initially, your Swor Women’s Care provider may recommend a wait-and-see approach to known fibroids, monitoring their growth during routine pelvic exams.

If fibroids are causing heavy periods, you may need to take medications, such as progestin or Lysteda, to regulate bleeding.

In some cases where fibroids are causing pain, our expert gyn surgeons can perform minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery to remove them. We have hysteroscopic or laparoscopic methods that use little or no incisions to remove fibroids without significant effects on the uterus or future fertility.

If you’re child-bearing is complete, our doctors may recommend a minimally-invasive removal of part or all of the uterus (LASH or hysterectomy) to permanently treat the problem and reduce other health risks.

Learn more about available treatment options for fibroids by contacting the Sarasota office today.