Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Doctor Phan Diem Doan Ngoc - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

1. Abnormal uterine bleeding

One of the typical symptoms of uterine fibroids is abnormal uterine bleeding, polymenorrhea, or frequent menorrhagia.
Tumors located near the uterine lining often tend to push and compress the endometrium. As a result, when the endometrial layer is thicker, at the beginning of the cycle, when it peels off, it will create a massive amount of menstrual blood. Some women even experience prolonged vaginal bleeding, following the menstrual cycle (menorrhagia) or outside of the period (bleeding). It is the amount of blood loss that makes the patient anemic, pale, and physically reduced to go to the doctor to discover fibroids.

2. Intense dysmenorrhea

In contrast to uterine bleeding, if large tumors are located deep in the muscular wall of the uterus, a woman will have to endure severe pain every menstrual cycle. The reason is that when the uterus needs to contract to expel menstrual blood, the blood vessels to the tumor will constrict, causing temporary lack of blood supply, anaerobic metabolism, and painful chemical products. .
In which, if the tumor is too large, when there is necrosis due to malnutrition, abdominal pain in the lower abdomen needs to be approached like a surgical disease, sometimes requiring emergency surgery.

3. Change toilet habits

This is a symptom of nearby organs when being compressed by uterine fibroids. If the tumor is located near the bladder, it will respond to stimulation, causing you to urinate more often than usual. In some women, if the muscle layer of the perineum is reduced in control, it is easy to experience urine leakage continuously or when there is only a slight increase in abdominal pressure such as coughing, laughing, and sneezing.
Similarly, besides putting pressure on the bladder, fibroids can also put pressure on the rectum. This will make you constipated. Even so, the irritation of the tumor makes you often feel the urge to strain even though you can't move anything.

4. Pain during sex

Fibroids located on the cervix or surrounding area can lead to pain during sex, as well as light to moderate bleeding afterward. Even if the fibroids are located in the uterus, the pressure in the vagina during sex is inevitable, and it will directly affect the tumor, causing certain discomforts. As such, if you notice any signs of bleeding during or shortly after intercourse or the activity is painful, you need to see your doctor early to consider the possibility of uterine fibroids.

5. Frequent abdominal pain or lower back pain

Pain anywhere in this area depends on the location and size of the fibroid. When a fibroid is large, it puts pressure on the lower back, pelvis, or abdominal wall and can make it difficult for you to do everyday activities like bending over or exercising.
All of these symptoms are not specific for uterine fibroids, you are most likely misdiagnosed with bone and joint diseases and have x-ray, MRI instead of simply doing an abdominal ultrasound. .

6. Infertility

Although fibroids are not usually cancerous and don't pose a serious threat to your health, they can affect fertility. If a woman has fibroids, it may make it harder for a woman to get pregnant. And, if you do get pregnant, it's also considered a high-risk pregnancy because fibroids can cause early labor, miscarriage, stillbirth, and even postpartum hemorrhage.
Although not all women with fibroids will be infertile, they will have difficulty conceiving. As such, it is important to discuss with your doctor about your desire to have children to be assessed whether fibroids affect fertility and consider intervention.

7. Risks of uterine fibroids

Research shows that as many as 70-80% of women get fibroids before the age of 50. Although knowing these symptoms is very helpful for diagnosing and treating fibroids and really only 20% of cases. If fibroids are detected, the following factors will help assess your risk of developing fibroids or the severity of your symptoms:
Age: Uterine fibroids are more common in this group women who are in their reproductive years, especially in their 30s and 40s, and throughout menopause. After menopause, fibroids tend to shrink. Precocious puberty: A girl who enters puberty and has her first menstrual period before the age of ten has a higher lifetime risk of developing fibroids than other girls. Family Genetics: A woman whose mother had fibroids is nearly three times more likely to develop fibroids than the general population. Race: African-American women are three times more likely to develop fibroids than women of other races. Obesity: Weight also has an effect on the risk of fibroids with research showing that overweight women are three times more likely to develop fibroids than other women. If you have any of the symptoms described above, suspect you may have fibroids. The next thing to do is to do an early gynecological exam and get an ultrasound of the uterus, the diagnosis will be easily confirmed.
Periodic gynecological examination is very important for early detection of disease for timely treatment intervention, avoiding harmful complications. The basic gynecological examination and screening package of Vinmec International General Hospital is deployed to help women screen and detect the earliest signs of gynecological diseases, thereby having a course of treatment. suitable and protect the reproductive function of women in the most comprehensive way.

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