What are they?

Uterine Fibroids (Fibroids) affect women of childbearing age. They are non-cancerous (benign) growths found in or on the muscle wall of the womb. They are sometimes called myomas, leiomyomas or fibromyomas.

Fibroids are usually associated with long and heavy menstrual bleeding (periods), feelings of bloating and heaviness, pain and rarely infertility.

They can affect up-to 30% of women and can affect women from all walks of life. They can occur at any age, during a woman’s childbearing years. However, they are most common in women aged 30 – 40 years.

Fibroids are more common in black women than in white women. They tend to occur at a younger age in black women, but the reason for this is not known. Women who are heavier (over 70 Kg/150lbs) are more likely to develop fibroids due to higher levels of female hormones (oestrogens). They are more common in women who have a mother, sister or grandmother who has suffered with fibroids.

MYTH
Women who have had children are more likely to develop fibroids.

FACT
The risk of developing fibroids decreases with the number of children that a woman has.

Fibroids grow in the womb. Occasionally they are almost free of the wall of the womb and are only attached by a tiny stalk. Fibroids are enclosed in a fibrous capsule and do not spread to other parts of the body.

Fibroids can occur as either a single growth or more usually as a number of growths. They can vary in size from very small – the size of a pinhead to very large – the size of a melon. 

Fibroids are described or named according to where they are found in the womb. The symptoms that occur may vary depending on the type of fibroid:

• Intramural – grow within the wall of the womb. They are likely to be associated with heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, back pain and pressure (a feeling of being bloated, heavy or full). 
  
• Subserous – grow outwards from the womb and can cause pressure on the bladder and the bowels. They are likely to be associated with feelings of being bloated, heavy or full. They can cause difficulty in passing water (urinating) or needing to pass water more frequently than normal. Constipation can also occur. 
  
• Submucous – grow inwards into the womb and can take up space within the womb. They can be associated with infertility problems.

Fibroids tend to grow very slowly. Their growth is related to the hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle and is affected by the female hormones. Oestrogen, which is one of the main female hormones stimulates the growth of fibroids.

MYTH
Taking the oral contraceptive pill causes fibroids.

FACT
The oral contraceptive pill can be used to treat the symptoms of fibroids and may in fact protect against their development.

Since fibroids are associated with menstruation, pain and infertility (all taboo subjects in most societies) it is a disease that is not well known, understood, or accepted by the general public.