What are the uterine fibroids?
The fibroids (also called leiomyomas) are benign non- cancerous growths of the uterus. They are very common -up to 75% of women have at least one fibroid- and they grow with age.They are not dangerous but depending on the location and size can affect fertility.
What are the cause of fibroids?
We dont know what causes the fibroids.
What are the symptoms?
The most women are asymptomatic and they find out they have fibroids during a routine check up. Fibroids can vary a lot in number (some women have only one and others have multiple) ,in size (small or very large even more than 10 cm) and in location (subserosal, intramural, submucosal and pedunculated).
In women who have symptoms the most common are:
- Heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding
- Pelvic pain and pressure
- Frequent urination
- Infertility
Can fibroids affect fertility?
It depends a lot on the size and where they are located in the uterus.If they are submucosal (located on the inside of the uterus ) obstructing the uterine cavity or blocking the tubes they are highly likely to be interfering with the implantation and they should be removed. Also if the fibroids are very large and distorting the lining of the uterus they might need to be removed.
How to treat fibroids?
The type of treatment depends again on the size and location of the fibroids. If they are submucosal hysteroscopic removal with a resectoscope is the treatment of choice. If they are large subserosal then the best choice is laparoscopic removal .
Depending on the symptoms and if the woman”s family is complete then an hysterectomy may be considered.
Below you can watch 2 different videos from 2 of our patients one with submucosal fibroid where an hysteroscopic removal was performed and one with subserosal fibroid where a laparoscopic removal was performed.
