Introduction – Uterine Fibroids

For a majority of female patients, uterine fibroids symptoms are not always apparent. Even when they do manifest, they tend to be mild and there is no strict requirement for treatment. According to one study commissioned on the subject, as much as 8 in 10 women with fibroids are observed to have undergone insignificant changes in their bleeding, pain, mental health, troubling symptoms, overall health, or general energy level after 1 year. When menopause begins, bleeding stops, enlarged uterus diminishes in size, while the likelihood of surgical intervention for fibroids decreases dramatically. Thus, it is only natural for some women with fibroids to have a tendency to bypass treatment, sometimes indefinitely.Fibroids Symptoms that You Would Not Want to Ignore

If female patients are demonstrating fibroids symptoms that involve heavy bleeding, which in turn leads to severe anemia, or sometimes, signals a uterus blockage due to the presence of very large fibroids, medical treatment is mandatory. Granted, different women have different takes on the necessity of treatments but usually, most use their desire for the kind of life style they want to live as the guideline for their decisions. One particularly interesting fact is that most women who have undergone hysterectomies rated their quality-of-life as being low in a recent survey, in contrast to female patients of high blood pressure, emphysema, heart disease, or arthritis.

Regardless, do pay attention if you are offered a hysterectomy as a first and only option to treat your fibroids symptoms. For reasons stated above, the natural inclination is to dodge this treatment while adjusting your life around the fibroids symptoms. We suggest that you check out a second opinion from a real expert (especially a gynecologist who deals with fibroids symptoms a lot). If left unchecked, bleeding or pain will gradually become more serious (known as “symptom creep”). The extreme end of this is fatigue due to anemia, intensified discomfort, and mental tiredness owing to concerns about your overall well-being.

Can Fibroids Cause Bleeding Problems?

Heavy menstrual bleeding is sometimes attributed to women with fibroids, although most do not display this problem. Theories exist to explain the reason heavy bleeding occurs. During the menstrual period, or when the shedding of uterine lining happens, the interior of the uterus is raw. There are 2 fundamental ways to stops bleeding. One is to form necessary plugs on the concerned blood vessel to stop the flow. The other option is for the uterus to contract and squeeze the bleeding vessels, since the uterus is effectively a muscle group in our body. The problem is, it is suspected, that the presence of fibroids means that effective squeezing action is impeded, and when the uterus blood vessels remain open blood is lost.

Pre-existing medical conditions can also contribute to heavy bleeding. Some known factors are hormonal changes, polyps, abnormal growth of the uterine lining, and precancer or uterus tumors.

Is Pain or Pressure part of Fibroids Symptoms?

A normal size uterus lies just above the rectum, right under the bladder, and surrounded by the intestines (colons). Due to the congested nature of its locale, it is not surprising that an overgrowth of the uterus from fibroids is likely to build up additional pressure and in some serious cases, cause pain in the pelvis. At normal times, the uterus is the size of a small pear and weighs no more than 1/4 of a pound. When fibroids set in, the uterus will expand and patients become aware of a fullness or pressure. This is the source of the added pressure but thankfully, the fibroids, in general, do not pose any permanent danger to any of the neighboring organs.

As the uterus increases in size, bulges form in the lower abdomen. They are highly visible and sometimes make the affected women appear pregnant. Again, this is not a life threatening condition, but the enlarged uterus will inflict enough discomfort or cause undesirable change in your physical appearance that you may want to seek treatment.

Tags: uterine fibroids, uterine fibroids symptoms, uterine fibroids treatments
Filed under: General, Uterine Health