A. A FIBROID, technically a leiomyoma, is a ball of smooth muscle cells within the walls of the uterus (womb). About 20% of women will develop a fibroid before 40 years of age, and the incidence is between 3 and 9 times higher in African American women for no known reason.
Not to worry, the chances of a fibroid becoming cancerous are slim at less than 0.5%, but they do have the tendency to grow very large. Because most fibroids seem to grow in response to estrogen ( a female hormone), fibroids tend to get bigger during times of increased estrogen such as during pregnancy, while taking estrogen replacement, or even when on birth control pills (depending on where exactly the fibroid is sitting in relation to the wall of the uterus).
Most fibroids go unnoticed and require no treatment other than observation (ie. an annual exam by your family doctor). When women do notice them its because of one of the following:
As for treatment, as I said, the majority of fibroids need only to be watched on an annual basis. If they become very symptomatic, surgery is available to remove them (you'd need to consult with a gynaecologist for that), but, like all surgery, we like to avoid this whenever possible.
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