Because fibroids can grow anywhere in the uterus and in a wide variety of sizes, they are associated with a variety of uterine problems. Their growth may cause abnormal bleeding, pelvic pressure, increase in abdominal girth, and pain. Associated symptoms include anemia (due to excessive or prolonged bleeding), frequent urination because of pressure on the bladder, problems with bowel movements, as well as pain during sexual intercourse. The most frequent symptoms that cause women to seek medical attention are abnormal, heavy uterine bleeding and increased pelvic pressure. Symptoms in decreasing order of frequency are:
1. Abnormal uterine bleeding
2. Pelvic pressure due to the increasing size of the fibroid(s)
3. Pain
An estimated 30% of women with fibroids experience abnormal uterine bleeding that usually does not begin as extreme blood loss.
The build-up to very heavy periods may occur over several months and may lead to severe anemia. In some instances, large clots may occur along with the bleeding. Patients also report a feeling of “fullness” or pelvic pressure. Fibroid pressure on the bladder may lead to urinary incontinence. This pressure may be so severe that some women are forced to wear padding to pre-vent embarrassment. These benign tumors can also cause hemorrhoids, due presumably to fibroid-induced pressure on the rectal area.
Fecal incontinence may affect some women, while constipation is a problem for others. Pain, which is usually caused by the softening or degeneration of the fibroids, is an infrequently occur-ring symptom. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should contact your gynecologist and undergo a full workup for your symptoms. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health estimate that anywhere from 50% to 80% of women will develop one or more fibroid tumors by the time they reach their 35th birthday.
Curiously, even after all of the trouble-some symptoms are taken into account, only 25% of patients diagnosed with fibroids experience problems serious enough to seek medical treatment. Just as fibroids may prove to be painful nuisances in some women, they are painless and quiescent in others, and their presence is known only after they are discovered during a routine pelvic examination. Indeed, a majority of women with fibroids never report adverse symptoms.
Pam’s comment:
In the spring of 1993 at the age of 35, I began to experience extreme pain in my lower abdomen and was having heavier than normal menstrual cycles. As the pain intensified and the bleeding became abnormal, I began to seek answers.
Deborah’s comment:
In addition to the incessant bleeding, the symptom that was most aggravating to me was the frequent urination that occurred while I was ovulating. There were several days within each month, prior to my menses, in which I would awaken to go to the bathroom at least 6–10 times during the night.