What Are Uterine Fibroids?

It is normal for women to experience a heavy menstrual period or cramps from time to time. What is not normal is a heavy period that impacts how you live your daily life or pelvic pain that is constant or unbearable. If you have these symptoms, you should be checked by a doctor.

Women who experience pelvic pain or heavy menstrual bleeding may have a common, non-cancerous growth on the uterine wall called a uterine fibroid.

Uterine fibroids are very common non-cancerous (benign) growths that develop in the uterus, occurring in 20 to 50 percent of the total female population. They can range in size from very tiny (a quarter of an inch) to larger than a cantaloupe. Sometimes fibroids can cause the uterus to grow, similar to when the uterus increases in size during pregnancy. In many cases, there is more than one fibroid found in the uterus.

These benign tumors can cause many problems, most commonly heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain. 

More Symptoms

Treatment option: Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE)

For most women with symptoms, the standard treatment has been hysterectomy, (surgical removal of the uterus) or myomectomy, (surgical removal of the fibroids). Fortunately, with the advancement of medicine there are other options. One such option is embolization of uterine fibroids or “UFE.” This treatment helps shrink the fibroids and is a non-surgical, less invasive procedure that is performed by an interventional radiologist. 

Learn More About UFE