Uterine Fibroids
If you are having difficulties becoming pregnant, you may be considering pursuing fertility treatments in order to conceive. Before you choose a fertility treatment, your health care provider will want to examine you in order to determine any health issues that may be interfering with your fertility. Upon examination, many women discover that they have uterine fibroids. These are growths inside the uterus, and they can sometimes interfere with fertility. If you think you have uterine fibroids, get them checked out by your health care provider, in order to ensure that they are not at the bottom of your fertility woes.
What are Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are tumors that grow in and around your uterus. These tumors are made of up large masses of tissue cells from your uterus. They are not cancerous but they can sometimes cause a variety of complications, including infertility. Fibroid tumors can come in any shape and size, ranging from pea-sized to grapefruit-sized. They often grow in clusters throughout the uterus.
Who Gets Fibroids?
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.
Types of Fibroids
There are actually a few different types of fibroids. These different fibroids grow in certain locations throughout your uterus. Some fibroids are more common than others.
- Intramural: Intramural fibroids are the most commonly occurring fibroids. They grow on the inside layer of your uterus.
- Subserosal Fibroids: Subserosal fibroids grow on the outside portion of your uterus. They often grow on long stalks, which allow the fibroids to push out towards other areas of the body. They sometimes grow to very large sizes.
- Submucosal: Submucosal fibroids grow inside the different layers of the uterus. They are rare, accounting for only 5% of all uterine fibroids.
What Causes Uterine Fibroids?
Unfortunately, researchers aren’t entirely sure why uterine fibroids grow. Fibroids may be the result of overactive hormones, stimulating excess cell growth in the uterus. Or, certain women may just have a genetic predisposition to getting fibroids.
Symptoms of Fibroids
Most women don’t even know that they have uterine fibroids. They are usually found only upon examination, either during your yearly pelvic exam or during a pregnancy or infertility ultrasound. However, some women do experience certain symptoms with their uterine fibroids. Symptoms are especially common if your fibroids are large or numerous, and can include:
- heavy menstrual bleeding
- periods that last longer than usual
- pain in the abdomen
- pelvic pressure
- backaches or leg pains
- bloating
Diagnosing Uterine Fibroids
There are a number of ways that your health care provider can diagnose your uterine fibroids. These include:
- Pelvic exam, in which your doctor uses her fingers to examine the size and shape of your uterus.
- Ultrasound, in which sound waves are used to create a picture of your uterus.
- Hysterosalpingography, in which dye is used to highlight your uterus and fallopian tubes.
- Laparoscopy, in which a small incision is made in your abdomen through which a camera is inserted. This relays images of your uterus back to your surgeon.
Fibroids and Infertility
Occasionally, fibroids can have a negative impact on fertility. Approximately 3% of women with uterine fibroids find that they have trouble conceiving because of these growths. The impact of fibroids on your fertility depends upon the size and location of your fibroids. Subserosal and intramural fibroids are usually unrelated to fertility issues. However, submucosal fibroids can sometimes interfere with fertilization and implantation.
- Large submucosal fibroids can disrupt the uterine lining, making it difficult for proper implantation.
- Submucosal fibroids can also impede upon the growth of an embryo, increasing the chances for miscarriage.
- Fibroids can sometimes block the fallopian tubes, preventing sperm from fertilizing your egg.
Treating Uterine Fibroids
For most women, fibroids do not need to be treated. These tumors often disappear by themselves, especially after menopause. If your fibroids are interfering with your ability to become pregnant, treatment is an option. Treatment includes:
- medications, which can help shrink the fibroids
- surgery to remove the fibroids
Getting Pregnant
