Uterine fibroids: causes, symptoms, treatment

After the age of 35, women should take a closer look at their health. Indeed, over the years, the risk of developing serious diseases that can threaten the health or even the life of a woman increases. Today we will talk about such a disease as uterine fibroids. What is it and how to deal with this ailment?

Myoma of the uterus: what is it

Usually, this is a benign neoplasm that arises and develops on the walls of the uterus, occurs in women over 30 or 35 years old. But in recent years, doctors have begun to note the growth of this disease in younger women.

What is uterine fibroids. According to experts, due to uncontrolled cell division, a nodular neoplasm is formed on the walls of the uterus. They can be of different sizes and are located both inside the uterine cavity and on its outer side. Sometimes you can even find several such nodules in one woman. Like pregnancy, the age of fibroids is usually counted in weeks. This way you can more accurately indicate the growth of the nodule. The nodules are usually found inside the muscles of the uterus.

Previously, it was believed that fibroids can degenerate into a malignant tumor, that is, cancer. Now this statement has been abandoned. It has been proven that these diseases are formed by different tissues and have a different nature. Even if myoma grows very quickly, this does not mean oncology.

Uterine fibroids: symptoms

If neoplasms have just begun to form, then usually the woman does not feel any symptoms. At a later stage, symptoms of this nature may appear:

• Profuse bleeding during menses. This condition is dangerous with the risk of developing anemia later. Severe bleeding indicates that the uterus cannot contract properly, which means that medical attention is needed. Often a woman in this case develops extracyclic uterine bleeding. This suggests that the lining of the uterus is irritated by the tumor and bleeds.
• In the lower abdomen and in the lower back the woman begins to feel pain. It can be pain of a different nature. If the blood circulation process is disturbed in the fibroid nodule, a sharp and severe pain occurs. If the myoma grows slowly, but has already increased to a sufficient size, then there are pulling pains during menstruation. If the development of the nodule occurs in the area of ​​the uterine lining, then the pain is in the nature of contractions.
• If the tumor grows in the direction of the rectum or bladder, then there may be disorders associated with the work of these organs: constipation, difficulty urinating, a feeling of heaviness or pressure in this area.
• Heavy bleeding causes anemia - dizziness, headache and weakness appear.
• A decrease in myocardial tone under the influence of a growing tumor causes pain in the heart.

Uterine fibroids: causes

Modern experts still cannot come to an unequivocal opinion about what causes uterine fibroids. They agree on one thing that the development of the disease is based on hormonal disbalance... It manifests itself in a sharp increase in the hormone estrogen and a decrease in the amount of progesterone. This often happens due to ovarian disease.

An increase in the content of estrogen in a woman's body leads to the activation of the muscles of the uterus. This confirms the fact that fibroids are a hormone-dependent disease. Indeed, it occurs more often in women who are of reproductive age.

Endometriosis is considered another cause of fibroids. In this case, an increase in the level of estrogen also occurs. To determine the cause of the imbalance of hormones in the female body, a comprehensive examination is carried out, not limited to a blood test.

An increase in female hormones can lead unbalanced diet... Typically, such women consume more carbohydrates and fats, and fiber in their diet is insufficient.

It is possible to distinguish among the causes of fibroids and various inflammation, abortion, curettage of the uterus. All this can provoke the appearance of fibroid nodules.

And the last reason for the formation of fibroids is a hereditary predisposition. If close female relatives suffered from fibroids, then the patient is likely to develop the disease.

Treatment of uterine fibroids

If the patient does not feel the symptoms of fibroids, then there is no need to treat her. In this case, the doctor will most likely suggest regular monitoring of the development of fibroids. You will have to visit a gynecologist once every six months and do an ultrasound scan. At the same time, tanning in any form, thermal procedures are contraindicated. Some hormone-containing drugs will also be banned. As a means of contraception, you will need to use an intrauterine device.

If the fibroid is growing, then treatment is necessary. In this case, conservative or surgical treatment can be applied.

Conservative treatment can be applied in several cases:

• The woman is still at a young age.
• Myoma is small (up to 12 weeks).
• Fibroid nodes are located in the muscles of the uterus.
• Myoma is slowly growing in size.
• There are no nodules that are located under the lining of the uterus.

Conservative treatments include hormone therapy, healthy lifestyles, vitamin supplementation, and normal sexual activity.

Uterine fibroid surgery

With a significant size of myoma and its rapid growth, an operation is performed.

In modern conditions, the operation can be performed in three ways:

• Myomectomy - in this case, the body of the uterus is preserved, only fibroid nodes are removed. Such treatment is carried out in the case of a small node. In this case, a woman may become pregnant in the future. This operation is performed either through small punctures or an incision. If the tumor is concentrated inside the body of the uterus, then it is removed through the vagina.
• Embolization involves the closure of the blood vessels that feed the fibroid nodules. After such a procedure, they gradually die off. This is a gentle method of surgical intervention, after which a woman can quickly be discharged from the hospital and, if desired, become pregnant.
• Radical surgery involves the complete removal of the uterus. This operation is used in severe cases or for those who are no longer planning a new pregnancy. This type of treatment is used for large tumor sizes and rapid growth.

Alternative treatment of uterine fibroids

Getting rid of uterine fibroids using folk methods is aimed only at restoring hormonal balance and stopping tumor growth. Such methods will not completely get rid of fibroid nodules.

For treatment, the following recipes can be used:

• Boil flaxseed (4 tablespoons) in half a liter of water over low heat, stirring constantly. This broth should be drunk in half a glass, and 4 times a day before meals. The duration of treatment is 15 days.
• Squeeze the juice out of raw potatoes and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach for 100 g. This should be done every day for 3 months, then you can take a break and start treatment again after 4 months.
• The use of motherwort tincture helps with fibroids - pour the motherwort herb with alcohol at the rate of 5: 1. In a dark place, insist this mixture for 30 days, sometimes shaking. Then strain and drink 50 drops 4 times a day.

Removal of fibroids

There are several ways to remove uterine fibroids. The classic method, when an incision is made in the abdominal cavity, is resorted to in the case of a large tumor. In this case, you can completely remove the neoplasm and suture well. The disadvantages of this method include a large loss of blood, an overall high degree of trauma and large seam after operation.

If the myoma is localized inside the uterus, then it is removed with a hysteroscope through the vagina.

With small sizes of nodes, laparoscopic removal is used, through small incisions on the anterior abdominal wall. In this case, there are many advantages: the trauma is low and the woman quickly recovers after the operation, in the future it is possible to become pregnant and bear the child normally, small stitches soon become completely invisible.

Fibroids and pregnancy

Sometimes there are cases that a woman suffering from uterine fibroids becomes pregnant. What happens then?

The large size of myoma nodes makes it impossible for pregnancy and its normal course. In this case, a spontaneous abortion usually occurs. The same result will be in the case when the fibroid nodes are localized inside the uterus and in contact with the placenta.

In the second and third trimester, myoma becomes a factor that can provoke an abortion or premature birth. This is due to the fact that the child has little space in the uterus due to the nodes and the uterus can contract intensively under the influence of fibroids.

Myoma also negatively affects the development of the child. There are cases when women with fibroids had children with various organ deformities.

The presence of fibroids also complicates the process of childbirth. They take a long time, usually you have to resort to a cesarean section. This is due to the fact that the child most often lies incorrectly due to a neoplasm.

After giving birth, women can face all sorts of complications. This can be bleeding, difficulty passing the placenta and incomplete contraction of the uterus. Pregnancy and childbirth can affect the fibroid itself in different ways. It all depends on its location relative to the placenta. It may happen that it does not change at all, or its degradation may occur - the myoma will begin to collapse. This process is characterized by tissue necrosis, the formation of cysts, and bleeding. In this case, the woman needs hospitalization for her further treatment.