Fibroids are noncancerous growths that commonly develop inside the uterus. Fibroid degeneration occurs when the fibroid has increased in size over a number of years and its blood supply is no longer adequate to support the tumor center. Treatment varies based on symptoms, size, and location of growths.
A fibroid, or uterine leiomyoma, is a type of noncancerous growth that commonly develops inside the uterus or uterus. Fibroid degeneration occurs when the fibroid has increased in size over a number of years and its blood supply is no longer adequate to support the tumor center. Degeneration, which involves cell death, occurs within the fibroid, and calcification, where calcium is deposited in the fibroid tissue, can be seen on an ultrasound. The fibroid degeneration process can sometimes cause pain in the pelvic region.
Uterine fibroids are extremely common, being the noncancerous or benign growths that occur most frequently in women before menopause. Fortunately, most fibroids don’t cause any symptoms, and treatment is required in only a fifth of all cases. Typically, fibroids grow within the wall of the uterus, with a minority developing outside the uterus or growing into the space inside it. There may be one or more fibroids, and the sizes can range from being too small to see to several inches (centimeters) in diameter.
Usually, this type of degeneration is more likely to occur in larger tumors, and although fibroids usually grow in size at a slow rate, their development can be affected by hormone levels. Estrogen stimulates growth, and an estrogen deficiency, such as after menopause, causes fibroids to shrink. When a fibroid suddenly becomes too large and its blood supply is exceeded, the resulting fibroid degeneration can cause quite severe pain, localized to a particular area of the pelvis. The pain can resolve with nothing but pain relievers, usually in less than a month. Sometimes the degeneration is more gradual, in which case the pain is milder but lasts longer.
Fibroid treatment varies based on symptoms, the size and location of any growths, and whether a woman hopes to have children in the future. Where there is a large fibroid that is degenerating and causing continued pain, treatment may be a hysterectomy to remove the tumor completely. Sometimes a procedure called a myomectomy may be used, in which any fibroids are removed but the uterus is saved, or an endometrial resection may be performed, in which the lining of the uterus is removed along with the fibroid. Methods that spare the uterus have the disadvantage that fibroids can recur.
Some methods used to shrink fibroids mimic the natural process of fibroid degeneration by targeting the blood supply to the tumors or directly destroying the core cells. One treatment involves injecting tiny plastic balls into the arteries that lead to fibroids, effectively blocking the blood supply. In another technique, laser or ultrasound energy is focused on the cells at the center of a fibroid, causing them to die.
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