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Uterine fibroids and hysterectomy

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of uterine fibroids

Alternative Names

Hysterectomy and uterine fibroids; Leiomyoma; Myoma

Symptoms

Less than 25% of patients with fibroids experience symptoms. When they do, they include the following:

• The most common symptom is prolonged and heavy bleeding during menstruation. This is caused by fibroid growth bordering the uterine cavity. In severe cases, heavy bleeding may last as long as 2 weeks. Fibroids rarely bleed between periods, except in a few cases of very large fibroids.
• Large fibroids can also cause pressure and pain in the abdomen or lower back that sometimes feels like menstrual cramps.
• As the fibroids grow larger, some women feel them as hard lumps in the lower abdomen.
• Very large fibroids may give the abdomen the appearance of pregnancy and cause a feeling of heaviness and pressure. In fact, large fibroids are defined by comparing the size of the uterus to the size it would be at specific months during gestation.
• Unusually large fibroids may press against the bladder and urinary tract and cause frequent urination or the urge to urinate, particularly during the night when a woman is lying down.
• Abnormal pain during intercourse (called dyspareunia ).
• If the fibroids press on the ureters (the tubes going from the kidneys to the bladder), obstruction or blockage of urine may result.
• Fibroid pressure against the rectum can cause constipation.

• Review Date: 6/13/2006
• Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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