Fibroids

Fibroids are uterine growths that, while usually harmless, can sometimes cause unpleasant symptoms. At her practice in Catonsville, Maryland, board-certified OB/GYN Dee L. Hubbard, MD, diagnoses and treats uterine fibroids to improve symptoms and prevent complications like severe pain and infertility. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Hubbard by calling the office or requesting one online today. 

What are fibroids?

Fibroids are growths inside your uterus. They’re usually benign and slow-growing, and in many cases, women who have uterine fibroids are unaware of them because they experience no symptoms.

Fibroids can develop at any time until you reach menopause, and they can vary in size from microscopic to being large enough to push the walls of your uterus out of shape. You can have one or many fibroids and a mixture of different sizes.

What symptoms do fibroids cause?

Although some women develop fibroids without experiencing symptoms, other women suffer a range of uncomfortable and inconvenient problems when they have fibroids, including:

• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Periods lasting longer than a week
• Pain or pressure in the pelvic region
• Needing to urinate more often than usual
• Problems emptying the bladder completely
• Constipation
• Backache
• Painful legs

Fibroids with a stem connecting them to the uterus might twist, causing acute pain, nausea, and/or fever. Sometimes, fibroids grow rapidly or break down, which may also cause abdominal pain. Fibroids can occasionally lead to infertility, but other causes are more likely. 

One of the problems with fibroid symptoms is that they can be very similar to symptoms of other conditions affecting the female reproductive system. If you experience problems that could be due to fibroids, it’s important to see Dr. Hubbard for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

How are fibroids diagnosed?

Diagnostic methods that can confirm the presence of fibroids include:

• Transabdominal or transvaginal ultrasound
• Hysterosonography
• Hysterosalpingography
• Hysteroscopy
• MRI

It’s not uncommon to find that what you thought were symptoms of fibroids are due to a different gynecological condition.

What treatment do fibroids require?

You might not need treatment if your fibroids aren’t causing problems. Dr. Hubbard checks their condition regularly and may advise treatment if the fibroids change or you begin experiencing symptoms.

Medications that help reduce heavy bleeding and ease period pain include:

• Hormonal birth control
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists
• GnRH antagonists with hormonal add-back therapy (low-dose estrogen or progestin)
• Progestin-releasing intrauterine device (IUD)
• Tranexamic acid

You might need to undergo a myomectomy procedure to remove uterine fibroids if medications don’t control your symptoms or the fibroids enlarge.

Call Dr. Dee L. Hubbard, MD, or schedule a consultation online today to learn more about fibroid diagnosis and treatment.