During you childbearing years smooth muscle cells may begin to grown in your uterus. These growths are often called uterine fibroids, but they are also called fibromyomas, leimyomas or myomas. This isn’t cancer, and the growths are not malignant. They are still tumors though, and they are quite common, especially for African-Americans. Most women who have them do not realize they have them. They sometimes shrink after menopause, and they rare for women under twenty.
Uterine fibroids are classified by the part of the uterus they appear in. If they grow on in the uterine cavity, they are known as submucous fibroids. Intramural fibroids appear on the uterine wall. Any outside the uterus are called subserous. ItÂ’s possible, however, for a fibroids to grow so large it falls into several categories.
Doctors have yet to definitively determine what causes fibroids, though estrogen may be the key. The high levels of estrogen during childbearing years or pregnancy encourage fibroid growth. Menopause, when estrogen decreases, is a period when they may shrink.
Many people are becoming more aware of the impact of environmental toxins on the human body. I, an alternative therapist, have even noticed a link between these toxins we place in our environment and fibroid growth. It appears that estrogen levels can be low in the body but higher levels of certain toxins will still cause rapid fibroid growth. This can happen in any woman, even post-menopausal women, creating a frustrating circumstance.
Fibroids can be harmful to the surrounding tissues and membranes, contributing problems that range from pain and bleeding to miscarriages and infertility. Common symptoms include heavy uterine bleeding that occurs during the menstrual cycle. Large fibroids cause pain and discomfort when they interfere with organs such as the bowel and bladder, and are at the heart of the most serious symptoms. An enlarged fibroid tumor causes infertility through compression of the uterus, or else causes miscarriages when the fibroid fills the uterine cavity and causes it to spasm.
Medical staff routinely check for fibroids during a pelvic examination. Ultrasound exams can also uncover previously unknown tumors. Treatment includes hormone regulation which may cause temporary infertility and other unwanted side effects. In the most extreme cases, medical staff utilize surgical procedures to remove the growths, including myomectomies to remove fibroids, uterine artery embolization which cuts off the blood supply to the fibroid tumor, or when all other treatments fail, hysterectomies are performed.
A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus in surgery, and should be a lasting cure for fibroids. A hysterectomy is also a drastic choice, and a major procedure which can have long term effects. Choosing surgery is always a big step, and in many cases involves a lot of risk. It is not a choice to be made without great need, and thought put into the decision.
Thankfully, there are alternative therapies out there for women to consider when dealing with fibroids. It depends on the symptoms and the severity of the case, but herbal supplements can help in shrinking fibroids and decreasing their symptoms. Body cleansing is another option. This allows you to clear the body of all toxins which may cause the fibroids to grow.
If you or a loved one has fibroids and you would like more information about this condition, you can watch some more in-depth videos on my website, and sign up for a free report on how to shrink fibroids naturally. http://www.fibroidsetc.com/what-are-fibroids/