Health A-Z

What are uterine fibroids?

Uterine fibroids (also called leiomyomas) are growths made of muscle and tissue that form in or on the wall of your uterus. These growths are usually not cancerous (benign) and are the most common noncancerous tumor in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB).

Uterine fibroids can cause a variety of symptoms like pain and heavy, irregular vaginal bleeding. Sometimes, a person has no symptoms and is unaware they have fibroids. Treatment for fibroids typically depends on your symptoms.

What are the symptoms of uterine fibroids?

Most small fibroids don’t cause any symptoms and don’t require treatment other than regular observation by your healthcare provider. Larger fibroids can cause you to experience a variety of symptoms, including:

• Excessive or painful bleeding during your period.
• Bleeding between your periods.
• A feeling of fullness in your lower belly (abdomen)/bloating.
• Frequent urination (this can happen when a fibroid puts pressure on your bladder).
• Pain during sex.
• Low back pain.
• Constipation or feeling pressure on your rectum.
• Long-term (chronic) vaginal discharge.
• Inability to pee or completely empty your bladder.
• Increased abdominal distention (enlargement), causing your abdomen to look pregnant.

The symptoms of uterine fibroids usually stabilize or go away after you’ve gone through menopause because hormone levels decline within your body.

What does uterine fibroid pain feel like?

There are a variety of feelings you might experience if you have fibroids. If you have small fibroids, you may feel nothing at all and not even notice they’re there. For larger fibroids, however, you can experience discomfort and pain. Fibroids can cause you to feel back pain, stabbing pains in your abdomen and even pain during sex.

What do fibroids look like?

Fibroids are typically rounded growths that look like smooth bumps. In some cases, they can be attached with a thin stem, giving them a mushroom-like appearance.

What causes uterine fibroids?

The exact cause is unknown, but healthcare providers believe the hormones estrogen and progesterone play a role. Most fibroids happen in people of reproductive age. Studies show that fibroids tend to grow when hormone levels are higher (like during pregnancy) and shrink when hormone levels are low (like during the transition to menopause).

What are risk factors for uterine fibroids?

There are several risk factors that can play a role in your chances of developing fibroids. These can include:

• Obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI).
• Family history of fibroids.
• Not having children.
• Early onset of menstruation (getting your period at a young age).
• Late age for menopause.

What are the complications of uterine fibroids?

Most uterine fibroids don’t cause serious complications. However, the most common complications of fibroids are:

• Pain that becomes unmanageable.
• Swelling of your abdomen or pelvic area.
• Excessive bleeding.
• Anemia.
• Infertility (this is rare).

Can fibroids cause anemia?

Anemia is a condition that happens when your body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your organs. Anemia can happen to people who have frequent or extremely heavy periods. Fibroids can cause your periods to be very heavy or for you to even bleed between periods. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing symptoms of anemia while you have fibroids.

How are uterine fibroids treated?

Treatment for uterine fibroids can vary depending on the size, number and location of the fibroids, as well as what symptoms they’re causing. If you aren’t experiencing any symptoms from your fibroids, you may not need treatment. Small fibroids can often be left alone. Some people never experience any symptoms or have any problems associated with fibroids. In these cases, your provider may recommend monitoring your fibroids with pelvic exams or ultrasounds.

If you’re experiencing symptoms from your fibroids — including anemia from excess bleeding, moderate to severe pain or urinary tract and bowel problems — you’ll need treatment to help. Your treatment plan will depend on a few factors, including:

• How many fibroids you have.
• The size of your fibroids.
• Where your fibroids are located.
• What symptoms you’re experiencing related to the fibroids.
• Your desire to keep your uterus.

The best treatment option for you will also depend on your plans for pregnancy in the future. Talk to your healthcare provider about your fertility goals when discussing treatment options. Treatment options for uterine fibroids can include:

Medications

• Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications: These medications help manage pain and discomfort caused by fibroids. OTC medications include acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
• Iron supplements: If you have anemia from excess bleeding, your provider may also suggest you take an iron supplement.
• Birth control: Birth control can also help with symptoms of fibroids — specifically, heavy bleeding during and between periods and menstrual cramps. There are a variety of birth control options you can use, including oral contraceptive pills, rings, injections and intrauterine devices (IUDs).
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists: These medications work by shrinking fibroids. They’re sometimes used to shrink a fibroid before surgery, making it easier to remove the fibroid. However, these medications are temporary, and if you stop taking them, the fibroids can grow back.
• Oral therapies: Elagolix is a new oral therapy to manage heavy uterine bleeding in people who haven’t experienced menopause with symptomatic uterine fibroids. It can be taken for up to 24 months. Talk to your provider about the pros and cons of this therapy. Another oral therapy, tranexamic acid, treats heavy menstrual bleeding in people with uterine fibroids.

It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about any medication you take. Always consult your provider before starting a new medication to discuss any possible complications.

Fibroid surgery

There are several factors to consider when talking about the different types of surgery for fibroid removal. Not only can the size, location and number of fibroids influence the type of surgery, but your wishes for future pregnancies can also be an important factor when developing a treatment plan. Some surgical options preserve your uterus and allow you to become pregnant in the future, while other options can either damage or remove your uterus.

Myomectomy is a procedure that allows your provider to remove the fibroids. There are several types of myomectomy. The type of procedure that may work best for you will depend on where your fibroids are located, how big they are and how many you have. The types of myomectomy procedures to remove fibroids can include:

• Hysteroscopy: Your provider inserts a scope (a thin, flexible, tube-like tool) through your vagina and cervix and into your uterus. Your provider uses the scope to cut away and remove the fibroids.
• Laparoscopy: In this procedure, your provider will use a scope to remove the fibroids. Unlike hysteroscopy, this procedure involves placing a few small incisions in your abdomen. This is how the scope will enter and exit your body.
• Laparotomy: During this procedure, your provider makes one larger incision in your abdomen and removes the fibroids through this one cut.

If you aren’t planning future pregnancies, there are additional options your healthcare provider may recommend. These options can be very effective, but they typically prevent future pregnancies. These can include:

• Hysterectomy: Your provider removes your uterus during a hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is the only way to cure fibroids. By removing your uterus completely, the fibroids can’t come back and your symptoms should go away. If your ovaries are left in place, you won’t go into menopause after a hysterectomy. This procedure might be recommended if you’re experiencing very heavy bleeding from your fibroids or if you have large fibroids. Minimally invasive hysterectomies include vaginal, laparoscopic or robotic methods.
• Uterine fibroid embolization: An interventional radiologist performs this procedure with the help of your gynecologist. They put a small catheter in your uterine artery or radial artery and inject small particles, which then block the flow of blood from the artery to the fibroids. Loss of blood flow shrinks the fibroids and improves your symptoms. This procedure may not be right for everyone.
• Radiofrequency ablation (RFA): This is a safe and effective treatment that uses microwave (RF) energy to treat uterine fibroids. It’s recommended for people who haven’t reached menopause. It treats smaller fibroids.

Risks to uterine fibroid treatment

There can be risks to any treatment. Medications can have side effects and some may not be a good fit for you. Talk to your healthcare provider about all medications you may be taking for other medical conditions and your complete medical history before starting a new medication. If you experience side effects after starting a new medication, call your provider to discuss your options.

There are also risks involved in surgical treatment of fibroids. Any surgery places you at risk of infection and bleeding, and includes risks associated with anesthesia. An additional risk of fibroid removal surgery can involve future pregnancies. Some surgical options can prevent future pregnancies. Myomectomy is a procedure that only removes the fibroids, allowing for future pregnancies. However, people who’ve had a myomectomy may need to deliver future babies via C-section.

How large do uterine fibroids need to be before being surgically removed?

There isn’t a definitive size of a fibroid that would automatically mean it needs to be removed. Your healthcare provider will determine if surgery is necessary based on your symptoms. For example, fibroids the size of a small marble may still cause excessive bleeding depending on their location. Your healthcare provider can discuss symptoms that might require surgical intervention.

What happens if fibroids go untreated?

If you don’t have symptoms, treatment for fibroids may not be necessary. If you have large fibroids or your symptoms are causing you pain and discomfort, getting treatment may be the best option. Only you and your provider can decide the best course of treatment or if treatment is necessary.

How are uterine fibroids diagnosed?

In many cases, a healthcare provider discovers uterine fibroids during a pelvic exam. Quite often, heavy bleeding and other related symptoms may alert your provider to consider fibroids as a part of the diagnosis. There are several tests that can be done to confirm fibroids and determine their size and location. These tests can include:

• Ultrasonography: This noninvasive imaging test creates a picture of your internal organs with sound waves.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This test creates detailed images of your internal organs by using magnets and radio waves.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan: A CT scan uses X-ray images to make a detailed image of your internal organs from several angles.
• Hysteroscopy: During a hysteroscopy, your provider will use a device called a scope (a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end) to look at fibroids inside your uterus. The scope is passed through your vagina and cervix and then moved into your uterus.
• Hysterosalpingography (HSG): This is a detailed X-ray where your provider injects contrast material and then takes X-rays of your uterus.
• Sonohysterography: In this imaging test, your provider places a small catheter in your vagina and then injects saline into your uterus. This extra fluid helps to create a clearer image of your uterus than you would see during a standard ultrasound.
• Laparoscopy: During this test, your provider will make a small cut (incision) in your lower abdomen. A thin and flexible tube with a camera on the end will be inserted to look closely at your internal organs.