What are Fibroids?

June 14, 2004

Fibroids & Endometriosis

What Are Fibroids?

Fibroids are one of the most common female health problems affecting

women during their reproductive years. They occur primarily in women

in their mid-thirties through their early fifties. They are occasionally

seen in women in their twenties, as well as women past midlife who

are on estrogen replacement therapy (a potent stimulator of fibroid

growth). Fibroid tumors of the uterus are found in at least 40 percent

of American women who reach menopause.

Not all fibroids require medical intervention.

In fact, many women have asymptomatic fibroids. They go through

years of annual pelvic exams in which the physician merely makes

note of the fibroids in their chart. However, approximately 50 percent

of women with fibroids develop symptoms severe enough to have a

major impact on their quality of life.

In my practice, I’ve seen fibroids coexisting with

other gynecological complaints such as PMS, ovarian cysts, and endometriosis.

The word fibroid is a misnomer, because it implies that these tumors

arise from fibrous tissue. The correct medical term used for these

growths is leiomyoma or myoma, since these tumors develop from the

smooth muscle layer of the uterus (also called the myometrium).

Fibroids are benign growths that can actually arise

in muscle tissue anywhere in the body, but are commonly found in

the uterus. Unlike cancerous tumors, they do not invade surrounding

tissue or the organs. Further, untreated fibroids are unlikely to

kill you—less than one half of one percent of fibroids ever

become cancerous. (Typically, this only occurs in postmenopausal

women.) Instead these benign muscular tumors tend to remain within

the confines of the uterine tissue. However, if they grow to be

too large, they can put pressure on neighboring organs and tissue,

which causes discomfort.

Read More on Fibroids & Endometriosis:

Getting Started

What Are Fibroids?

Symptoms of Fibroids

Checklist of Risk Factors and Symptoms

for Fibroids

What is Endometriosis?

Symptoms of Endometriosis

Keep it SIMPLE tip — Herbal Tea for Fibroids and

Endometriosis

Nutritional Therapies

Diet for Fibroids and Endometriosis

Supplements and Herbs for Fibroids and Endometriosis

Complementary Therapies

Healing Meditation

Affirmations for Healing