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Fibroids: Uterine Fibroids
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Fibroids are the most frequently seen tumors of the female reproductive system. Fibroids... known as uterine myomas, leiomyomas, or fibromas, are firm, compact tumors that are made of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue that develop in the uterus. It is estimated that between 20 to 30 percent of women of reproductive age have fibroids, although not all are diagnosed. Some estimates state that up to 75 percent of women will develop fibroids sometime during their childbearing years, although only about one-third of these fibroids are large enough to be detected by a physician during a physical examination.
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Fibroids are not a rare occurrence. Actually, the large majority of women have uterine fibroids. Between 50% and 80% of women develop at least one fibroid throughout their reproductive lives. Most women are unaware of these fibroids because they tend to be small in size and produce few symptoms. However, uterine fibroids can be problematic for up to 20% of women, causing various symptoms and even fertility issues.
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Fibroids start in the muscle tissues of the uterus. They can grow into the uterine cavity, into the thickness of the uterine wall, or on the surface of the uterus into the abdominal cavity. Although these tumors are called fibroids, this term is misleading because they consist of muscle tissue, not fibrous tissue.
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DEFINITION — Fibroids are growths of the uterus, or womb (show figure 1). They are ... called uterine leiomyomas or myomas. They grow from the muscle cells of the uterus and may protrude from the inside or outside surface of the uterus. Fibroids may also be found within the muscular wall (show figure 2). Fibroids are not cancerous or pre-cancerous.
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Fibroids are growths that develop in the uterus. Uterine fibroid growths are usually accompanied by pain in the stomach and back. But what causes uterine fibroids? And what treatments are available to women who have fibroids?
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Uterine artery embolization (U.F.E.) is a non-surgical technique that shrinks fibroids without removing them. The procedure is performed by an interventional radiologist (an M.D.) who guides a long thin catheter (tube) into the blood vessels that supply the uterus while monitoring the process under x-ray. Small plastic particles are pushed through the catheter until they form a blockade to the blood flowing to the uterus. Fibroids have a limited supply of blood vessels, and with the blood flow blocked, the fibroid cells start to die off. The surrounding normal uterine muscle has a better blood supply and is able to survive. Deprived of blood, nutrition and oxygen, fibroids shrink like prunes for the three to six months following embolization, and the symptoms from the fibroids often lessen as well.
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Uterine Fibroids