Fibroid Tumors: Symptoms You Should Know About

One sure-fire way to end up on the table undergoing a hysterectomy is the presence of fibroid tumors. Symptoms include heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and pressure, urinary incontinence, or, most commonly, none at all.

Fibroid tumors are not always dangerous; in fact, they are non-cancerous tumors that grow in the uterus. They neither increase your chance of developing uterine cancer, nor do they turn cancerous (except on rare occasions). Since these tumors are slow-growing and often present no symptoms at all, they can go undiagnosed. This is not a problem for women whose tumors are so small they require a microscope to see them, but for others, these growths can become the size of grapefruits – or even bigger.

Causes of fibroid tumors are not fully known, but this much is true: They do not appear before the body begins to produce estrogen, they grow more quickly during pregnancy, due to the overproduction of estrogen, they continue to grow while estrogen is present in the body, and they have been known to shrink and even disappear after menopause, when the body stops the production of estrogen.

It’s true that most fibroid tumors’ symptoms are non-existent. However, an estimated quarter of the women who do show symptoms do so as the tumor grows. Crowding in the abdominal area by a growing tumor makes for heavier bleeding during menstruation, accompanied with pain, and swelling in the abdomen are signs that you should see the doctor to determine the causes. Incontinence results from undo pressure on the bladder, and if a fibroid pushes on a woman’s bowels, she may even experience constipation and backaches.

Doctors can sometimes find tumors during a physical exam, by actually feeling the mass. When the physician feels a mass, an ultrasound may be ordered. But some fibroids growing close to the uterus can disguise themselves as ovarian cysts, so the only way a true diagnosis can be made is via surgery.

If you have feelings of discomfort as described here, tell your physician about it. Only they can make a diagnosis. And remember, these are tricky little fibroid tumors. Symptoms may never show themselves.