The most common noncancerous tumours in women in their reproductive years, uterine fibroids, are something of a mystery. It’s hard to pinpoint a cause for them, why some people get them, and others don’t.
You may have fibroids and not know they’re there. Often, there are no symptoms, and at other times, symptoms have a major impact on your life. As many as 77% of women across the country will have fibroids at some point in their lives.
Gynecologist John A. Whitfield, MD, in Fort Worth, Texas, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of fibroids. For this blog, we’ll give you an overview of fibroids, what they are, how they’re found, and how they may affect you.
Formed from muscle and other tissue, fibroids grow within or on the walls of your uterus. They may be single nodes, or they may grow in clusters. Typically, fibroids range in size from the equivalent of a small seed to, in rare cases, watermelon-sized growths.
If you have symptoms from your fibroids, you might experience:
Larger fibroids can also cause constipation and put pressure on the colon.
While the precise mechanism behind fibroid growth isn’t known, most women with fibroids share a gene defect that seems connected, though not every woman with the defect develops a problem.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone are thought to contribute as well. Higher levels seem to accompany faster growth. Fibroids can shrink when hormone levels fall.
You can’t “catch” fibroids; they’re not the result of an infection or anything communicable. You may be more at risk of developing fibroids if you have one or more of these conditions:
Fibroids may be caused by a combination of risk factors.
It’s common for fibroids to be found when you’re being tested for other conditions, particularly if yours produce few or no symptoms. No treatment is needed if you have no symptoms, but Dr. Whitfield may recommend periodic monitoring.
Diagnostic imaging is generally used to confirm the presence of fibroids. There is a wide range of procedures, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) scanning.
Treatments depend on your symptoms, and there’s no one-size-fits-all or best treatment. Treatment protocols range from medications and noninvasive techniques to surgical removal.
Find out more by contacting John A. Whitfield, MD, and his team. Call 817-927-2229 to book your consultation today.
