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The size of the uterus can be affected by factors such as the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, age, fibroids, and endometriosis. The uterus expands during ovulation and pregnancy, but shrinks in post-menopausal women. Fibroids and endometriosis can also enlarge the uterus.
There are a few different factors that affect the size of the uterus, whether it’s a healthy uterus or an unhealthy one. A healthy uterus will vary in size monthly, due to the menstrual cycle. Age and pregnancy are also normal factors that change the size of the uterus. Some diseases, such as fibroids and endometriosis, can also enlarge the uterus.
One of the most common factors affecting the size of the uterus is the menstrual cycle. Most women ovulate every month, which means the uterus is preparing for conception. This process causes the endometrium, or the lining of the uterus, to fill with blood and endometrial tissue. Naturally, as the uterine wall expands to fill with blood, the overall size of the uterus is enlarged. If conception does not occur, the uterus will shed extra blood during menstruation and, most likely, the whole process will repeat itself the next month.
Another factor affecting the size of the healthy uterus is pregnancy. When conception is successful, the uterus will expand as the fetus grows inside it. This is a perfectly healthy and normal function of the uterus. The uterus will be considerably smaller during the second month of pregnancy than in the eighth month. Whether or not pregnancy has occurred and the development of the fetus both affect the size of the uterus.
Age is also a factor influencing the size of the uterus. Babies have small bodies and, therefore, smaller organs, including the uterus, than adults. The uterus also shrinks in post-menopausal women. Shrinks pretty much like a preteen girl’s. The organ is no longer active, thus saving vital resources for the remaining active organs to use.
The size of the uterus is also affected by the presence of uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas, or simply myomas. Fibroids are tumors that grow inside the wall of the uterus. These tumors are almost never cancerous and are typically small. They can grow the size of grapefruits and, in these cases, significantly affect the size of the uterus. Often, when doctors diagnose fibroids, they compare the size of the uterus to the stages of pregnancy.
Endometriosis is another disorder that can change the size of the uterus. Also called adenomyosis, endometriosis is a noncancerous disease that affects the endometrium, usually the back wall or back side of the uterus. This disease occurs when the endometrial tissue spreads and penetrates the muscle of the uterus. The uterus becomes hard and can reach up to twice its normal size. Endometriosis is more common in women who have already had children, but if left untreated it can cause infertility.
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