5 MOST COMMON MYTH ABOUT UTERINE FIBROID

Fibroids are the most common type of pelvic tumor among women of reproductive age. Despite their prevalence, however, fibroids are widely misunderstood. A number of popular misconceptions, in particular, create confusion for women with fibroids who are trying to understand their condition and treatment options. To clear up some of this confusion, we’re breaking down five of the most common myths surrounding fibroids. MYTH: If you have fibroids, you will experience symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding and pain. As common as the condition is, researchers estimate that between 50-80% of women with fibroids will experience no fibroid symptoms at all. Many women with asymptomatic fibroids never even know that they have the condition. And, because fibroid tumors are almost always benign, women who aren’t experiencing symptoms may opt to forgo treating their fibroids. MYTH: A routine ultrasound will detect any uterine fibroids that are present. If fibroids are suspected, the first diagnostic tool gynecologists employ to confirm the suspicion is transvaginal ultrasound. However, this imaging method doesn’t always reveal all existing fibroids. The size and location of uterine fibroids varies greatly, and extremely small fibroids, submucosal fibroids, and small fibroids that are hidden behind larger tumors, aren’t always detectable through a routine pelvic ultrasound. For clearer visualization of the tumors, physicians frequently rely on laparoscopic ultrasound, which requires inserting a scope through the vagina and into the abdominal cavity provides. Research has shown that laparoscopic ultrasound can detect up to twice as many fibroids as transvaginal ultrasound. MYTH: Fibroid tumors will become cancerous. Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas, are almost always benign: in women of reproductive age, less than 0.01% of (removed) fibroids become cancerous. While fibroids typically shrink after menopause, those that do appear in post-menopausal women may be the cancerous type, called leiosarcomas. It’s important to note, however, that – regardless of age – simply having fibroids does not increase a woman’s chances of developing cancer in her reproductive organs. MYTH: Endometrial ablation is a method of treating fibroids Endometrial ablation (EA) is a commonly used to treat abnormal uterine bleeding. The technique entails destroying the layer of tissue that lines the uterus known as the endometrium, preventing new tissue from growing and thereby reducing or eliminating menstrual bleeding. While you may have heard EA discussed in the context of fibroids, it is not, in fact a fibroid treatment. The destruction of fibroids that can occur with EA is incidental, and is not likely complete. In such cases, the ablated fibroids will often regrow, since subserosal fibroids – the type that grow inside the uterus and are therefore subject to destruction during EA – often originate below the endometrium layer. MYTH: If left untreated, fibroids will continue to grow throughout a woman’s lifetime. Fibroid growth is fueled by estrogen. Accordingly, fibroids will grow and shrink in response to the body’s hormone fluctuations. Pregnant women often experience rapid growth in existing fibroids and may develop new fibroids during pregnancy, due to the heightened levels of estrogen that their bodies are producing. Conversely, fibroids typically shrink after menopause, because the ovaries have stopped producing estrogen. (Post-menopausal women undergoing hormone replacement therapy can expect the opposite to occur, however, since they are artificially replacing the missing estrogen.) Although fibroids do tend to disappear naturally after menopause, pre-menopausal women who are suffering with symptoms of uterine fibroids may not want to wait. When fibroids are interfering with the quality of life, it’s advisable to discuss treatment options with a gynecologist. With a plethora of treatments available to women with fibroids, including uterine conserving methods like Acessa Procedure, it’s not necessary to endure long-term suffering!