One of the most common health problems in women is fibroids. Fibroids are benign tumors that develop in the muscular layer of the uterus. They are generally seen in women between the ages of 30 and 40.

Fibroids, which generally arise due to hormonal changes, tend to shrink after menopause. It is very important to monitor fibroids that grow after menopause to ensure they do not turn into malignant cells.

What Are the Symptoms of Fibroids?

The symptoms caused by fibroids and their severity vary from patient to patient. Some patients do not experience any symptoms. However, some may have abnormal bleeding, painful menstrual periods, back pain, painful sexual intercourse, and infertility.

Additionally, some fibroids exert pressure on the bladder due to their size. This prevents the bladder from expanding, causing frequent urination.

The most important reason for treating fibroids is that even if they do not cause symptoms, they can be an obstacle to pregnancy. Especially fibroids located near the inner surface of the uterus may disrupt the area where the fertilized egg (zygote) implants.

How Are Fibroids Diagnosed?

Fibroids are generally discovered during routine gynecological examinations. However, for a definitive diagnosis, the doctor should take the patient’s history and perform a physical examination. Through these examinations, fibroid masses can be detected.

Diagnosis is mostly made by ultrasound during the examination. If the fibroid mass is large or the uterine tissue cannot be detected, an MRI may be required to rule out other causes. MRI provides detailed information about soft tissues.

How Are Fibroids Treated?

If fibroids do not cause any symptoms and do not pose a significant obstacle to pregnancy, regular monitoring is sufficient. However, if the detected fibroids cause some symptoms, treatment should be applied according to the characteristics of the fibroids.

If surgery is to be performed, the treatment process depends on the patient’s age, complaints, number and location of fibroids, and whether the patient wants to have children or not.

If the patient has no children and wants to have children in the future, the fibroid should be removed to preserve the uterine function. The second option is hysterectomy. Fibroids are tumors frequently produced by the uterus.

Therefore, if the patient has children and does not want to have more, hysterectomy may be decided based on the patient's symptoms. However, hysterectomy is the last option.

Hysteroscopy: In this operation, small fibroids that cause pain and frequent or heavy bleeding, located inside the uterine cavity, are removed.

Laparoscopic Surgery: In laparoscopic procedures performed with a closed technique, fibroids of 4-5 cm or larger are removed. Laparoscopy should especially be preferred if infertility is a concern.

Open Surgery: Open surgery is generally preferred for larger fibroids.

The choice of treatment method depends on the characteristics of the fibroids, the patient’s age, and the symptoms.