6 Symptoms of Fibroid Tumors- Up to 8 in 10 women develop fibroids before they turn 50. Although they’re very common, fibroids affect every woman differently. In most cases, they don’t cause symptoms, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
But when fibroids do cause symptoms, they can make life very difficult. Here at Virtuosa GYN, our board-certified OB/GYN, Susan Crockett, MD, is a well-known fibroids expert. Dr. Crockett has more than three decades of experience in helping women with fibroids.
She focuses strongly on educating and empowering women, and that starts with symptom recognition. With Fibroid Awareness Month coming up in July, we decided that this is the ideal time to cover symptoms of fibroids in our blog.
Keep reading to learn six symptoms that may be telltale signs of fibroids.
Heavy bleeding
Fibroids can cause heavy bleeding. This may include:
- Bleeding longer than seven days
- Blood clots that are quarter-sized or bigger
- Filling a pad or tampon every hour for multiple consecutive hours
- Wearing multiple pads at once
- Requiring pad or tampon changes in the night
The excessive blood loss can even cause iron-deficiency anemia, which can be life-threatening in rare cases.
Painful periods
Periods may be particularly painful when you have fibroids. This happens because of extra pressure within your uterus. In addition, fibroids essentially create extra surfaces for uterine lining growth.
You can have more uterine lining to shed every month, so your uterus has to work overtime to eliminate all that material, causing painful periods.
Increased urinary frequency
Fibroids can take up a lot of space in your uterus — so much so, that they may distend your uterus and put pressure on your bladder. This may make you feel like you need to urinate constantly, even though there’s actually very little urine in your bladder.
Pain during sex
Just as large fibroids can pressure your bladder, they can create a lot of pressure in your uterus itself. This can lead to painful sex. Fibroids that are lower in the uterus, specifically at the neck (the cervix) may be particularly painful during sex.
Belly swelling
Some fibroids can grow to 6 inches wide or more. Much like when you’re pregnant, the extra growth in your uterus can push your belly out, so large fibroids can create a perpetually swollen lower abdomen.
Back pain
Depending on where the fibroids grow within your uterus, they can cause low back pain. The larger the fibroid and the closer to the back of your uterus, the more likely it is to cause pain.
Fibroid-related low back pain may feel like a constant aching or dull pain. Or the fibroid can push against nerves in the spine, which may lead to pain that shoots down your buttock and leg.
The good news: Fibroids are treatable
Dr. Crockett prescribes a fibroid management plan just for you, based on your symptoms, age, fertility, and other factors. Your treatment may include hormones, medication, or surgery.
As a master-level da Vinci® robotic surgeon, Dr. Crockett is an expert in procedures like myomectomy. In a robotic myomectomy, Dr. Crockett creates very small incisions and uses the state-of-the-art robotic system to expertly remove your fibroids.
This approach eliminates fibroids and relieves your symptoms — and if you want to conceive a baby, this minimally invasive procedure can help clear the path. In fact, one study showed that three-quarters of women had a successful pregnancy after myomectomy.
If fertility isn’t a concern for you, hysterectomy (uterus removal) may be an option to consider for permanent fibroid removal.
Call us at 210-664-4753 or click on our online contact button to connect with our Virtuosa GYN team today.
