Your doctor has just told you that you have fibroid tumors after a visit for intense abdominal pain with your period. This isn’t the first time it has happened, either. Upon the word tumor, your brain spiraled into worries and you really weren’t able to absorb and process much of the information you were told during the visit. Here you are, searching out more information about fibroid tumors to figure out what this means.
First of all, no, fibroid tumors are not cancer and they won’t cause you cancer, so take a deep breath. A fibroid tumors or uterine fibroids are noncancerous lumps, and are sometimes called leiomyomas or myomas. It is very rare for them to become cancerous. See your doctor to talk through any worries you may have about it being cancerous. Research has shown that they are genetic, and are usually passed down from mother to daughter. They can form a few different ways, in the smooth muscle of the uterus and can grow on the inside of the uterus or in the muscle tissue or on the exterior of the uterus.
The fibroids will change size on their own, growing, shrinking and disappearing all together. They can be so small you can’t see it or big enough to cause irritation during sexual intercourse, bladder and bowel issues, and infertility depending on its position on the uterus. There are minimally invasive treatments available to help with lessening their size as well as having surgery to remove the fibroids. The treatment will depend of each case, that is why it is important to go to a specialist as soon you start having any symptoms.