What is a Uterine Fibroid?
A fibroid is a solid mass consisting of the same type of uterine wall muscle tissue. It can develop in the uterine cavity, in the uterine wall, or on the exterior of the wall. It is the size of a pea to one big as an orange. You can have a single or multiple. They are not so much the size as where they are located; a small fibroid that is inside the cavity can be more troublesome than a large fibroid on the outer surface.
Uterine Fibroids Causes
The main uterine fibroids causes is hormonal. The hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are made during the reproductive years, are responsible for the growth of fibroids. This is the reason why they're seen between puberty and menopause, and why they nearly always diminish after menopause when levels of hormones are declining.
Other risk factors are increased:
- If your mother or sister had fibroids, you are at a much greater risk.
- Diagnosis Time: 30s and 40s are typical diagnosis years
- Extra fat: increased oestrogen levels due to being overweight
- Women who have not had any pregnancies have a little higher risk than women who have had a pregnancy to term.
Know Uterine Fibroids Symptoms
Some women who have a fibroid uterus may not experience any symptoms whatsoever. They were scanned for a routine medical check up and their fibroid has never presented a single symptom. This is natural and not a condition that needs to be treated.
Uterine fibroids symptoms tend to occur in the following ways:
- Heavy or long periods: Periods require more than normal pads to absorb the blood or last longer than 7 days. This is the most common symptom.
- Pressure or sense of fullness in the pelvis: A constant sensation of weight or distention in the lower abdomen
- Urge to urinate despite an empty bladder: Uterine fibroids put pressure on the bladder causing the need to urinate even if the bladder is empty
- Lower back pain or constipation: Due to a fibroid pressing against nerves or the bowel from the back.
- Intermenstrual and dysmenorrhea: Painful periods
- Fatigue and difficulty breathing: Due to anaemia from the loss of blood over many months
If you see a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:
Sudden severe pelvic pain, persistent fatigue with pale skin and periods are so heavy you need to change protection every hour for 2 or more hours; these might indicate serious anemia.
How Uterine Fibroids Are Diagnosed
The first step in diagnosis is an ultrasound of the pelvis, which is a painless and non-invasive scan that can measure the size, number and exact location of fibroids. Blood tests are used to test for anaemia and exclude thyroid issues, which can lead to heavy periods. A thin telescope (hysteroscope) can be inserted through the vagina, if a fibroid is suspected to be present inside the uterus, to look at the fibroid directly (no cut required)
Uterine Fibroid Treatment: What is the right treatment for you?
The type of uterine fibroid treatment depends on the kind of symptoms you experience, the location of fibroids and whether you want to conceive children or not. Each common situation is matched with an approach in the following table, which is the framework a gynaecologist uses to make the decision:
Medication for Uterine Fibroids.
Medications won't remove the fibroids. It regulates their symptoms. Mirena IUDs and hormonal contraceptives are highly effective to decrease heavy bleeding. GnRH injections temporarily reduce the size of fibroids by reducing oestrogen, which is helpful prior to surgery, but fibroids will regrow if GnRH injections are discontinued. Tranexamic acid tablets can help to minimise blood loss during periods without impacting on hormone levels or fertility. Heavy periods cause a form of anaemia and iron supplements help correct this.
Myomectomy For Uterine fibroids and save the uterus
Myomectomy is a surgical procedure to have fibroids removed without the uterus being removed. It is the accepted fertility preserving surgical option, as stated by NIH StatPearls 2025. Usually it is done laparoscopically (with 3 to 4 small incisions and camera and instruments, home in 1 to 2 days, for most patients). Hysteroscopic removal of fibroids within the cavity can be performed through the vagina without any incisions. The big risk: Fibroids can recur in about 20-30% of women within 5 years, but not usually cause any problems.
Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (no surgery)
UFE involves closing the blood vessels that supply the fibroid using a fine tube that is inserted in a small cut made in the wrist or groin. After a few weeks, the fibroid is starved of blood and diminishes in size. No general anaesthetic and no abdominal cut, home the same day. A great choice for women who do not wish to undergo any surgical procedures. Do not use it if the woman is capable of becoming pregnant, since it may disrupt the blood flow of other parts of the uterus.
| Your Situation | Right Approach | What to Know |
|---|---|---|
| No symptoms, small fibroid, identified during scan. | Watchful waiting – no treatment required at this time. Get a check every 6-12 months using ultrasound. | In most cases, silent fibroids don't cause any trouble. Adding risk without benefit for something that does not cause any problem. |
| Bleeding so much yet don't want surgery? | Medication first - hormonal tablets, Mirena IUD or GnRH injection to deal with bleeding. | It is effective at controlling symptoms for most women. Not a cure, fibroids stay but they are controlled. |
| If the symptoms are caused by fibroids and you do not want to remove your uterus or you are planning to conceive children | Myomectomy – fibroids are taken out, and the uterus is preserved. In most cases carried out laparoscopically (keyhole). | Fertility is preserved. In 20-30% of people whose fibroids were removed, the fibroids recur in 5 years, but they are not necessarily painful. |
| No symptoms, full family, no additional plans for pregnancy. | Hysterectomy Uterus is permanently taken out. For the majority of patients, a laparoscope is used to perform the procedure. | The only way to permanently cure fibroids is to take the treatment. No chance of a repeat occurrence. |
| Symptomatic fibroid but would prefer not to have any surgery. | Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (UFE) shuts off the blood to the fibroid using a very small tube inserted in the wrist or groin. No cut needed. | Fibroid will decrease in size within a few weeks. Home same day. Not recommended for pregnant women. |
Fibroids and Pregnancy
The majority of women who have fibroids are able to conceive and carry pregnancies without any problems. The type that has the greatest effect on fertility is the submucosal fibroid (within the uterine cavity) that can interfere with the embryo implanting. If you're thinking about becoming pregnant and have been diagnosed with fibroids, request your gynaecologist about the type and place. However, not all fibroids must be removed prior to attempting pregnancy.
Fibroids Assessment and Treatment at Jaipur Vatika Hospital
The best hospital for fibroid treatment for females in western Jaipur, Ajmer and the highway of Jaipur is Jaipur Vatika Hospital providing complete treatment of fibroid from diagnosis to surgery till recovery under one roof.
Led by: Dr. Rinku Barwar MBBS, DGO FOGSI Manyata Certified. The only Ajmer Express Way registered Manyata Gynaecology Practice.
The single visit includes:
- The size, number and location of fibroids confirmed via pelvic ultrasound.
- NABL-accredited blood tests including haemoglobin, thyroid, hormonal panel – all results provided on the same day and there are no external laboratories involved.
- Medical management like hormonal, tranexamic acid, GnRH treatment, iron supplementation and follow-up monitoring
- We are considered the best hospital for fibroid surgery for women who are not planning to have children, but are looking to remove it without undergoing an hysterectomy. Laparoscopy is the most effectivefibroid removal surgery that is performed through a keyhole incision in the abdomen.
- Cavity fibroids are removed without cuts from the vagina and the procedure takes place on the same day (hysteroscopic myomectomy).
- For completed families, the minimally invasive laparoscopic hysterectomy is an option.
- Overnight cover for emergency bleeding or severe fibroid pain
- For cashless admission, you need insurance from SBI General, Aditya Birla, IFFCO Tokio or Universal Sompo
Conclusion
Don't panic if you've been diagnosed with a fibroid – it's not an emergency and isn't cancer. A lot of women don't require uterine fibroids treatment. If treatment is required, there are more treatment options than most patients realise, including tablets, keyhole surgery or UFE without any operation. The right choice will rely on your plans for the future and how much the fibroid has an effect on your life.
To avail Same Visit Pelvic Ultrasound and complete assessment in the OBG department of Jaipur Vatika Hospital, please make an appointment with Dr. Rinku Barwar through the JVH E-Consultation App or call +91-8209809753.
faq.faqs
faq.faqs-subheading
No, Uterine fibroids are always non-cancerous. A fibroid can't turn into cancer and the chance of malignancy is extremely low – less than 1 in 1,000. A diagnosis of fibroid is not a cancer diagnosis. Sometimes, a doctor might suggest a biopsy when a fibroid is unusual on the imaging test, but that's to rule something out, not because the doctor thinks the fibroid is likely to be cancer.
Yes, after menopause, as fibroids will rely on oestrogen to maintain their size and when the oestrogen level drops, they tend to decrease in size after menopause. Symptoms typically resolve. Fibroids typically don't go away on their own before menopause, but they can stay the same size and cause no symptoms for several years. If you have a small, silent fibroid in your 40s, it may not require treatment, especially if you have a few years before menopause.
Fibroids don't generally affect pregnancies and the vast majority of women with them have normal pregnancies and births. Sub-mucosal fibroids (those within the uterine cavity) are the ones which are most likely to cause problems with implantation, and may need to be removed before a woman attempts to conceive. If fibroids are on the outside of the uterus, they are not likely to affect a woman's fertility. When making a decision around pregnancy planning, discuss with a gynaecologist the type and location of the specific type.
Depends on treatment. In about 20-30% of women there are some fibroids that will come back within 5 years of myomectomy, but very likely they will be asymptomatic and small. Once a woman has had a hysterectomy, the fibroids are gone as the uterus has been removed. The majority of fibroids will remain small after UFE, and there is a small risk that they will develop blood supply again over time. Medications work to manage the symptoms during treatment, but fibroids grow back after the medication is discontinued.