What are the symptoms of fibroids?
Fibroids don't usually cause symptoms.
Only about 2 in 10 to 5 in 10 women with fibroids have symptoms.1 But if you do get symptoms, these are the most likely ones:
- Heavy periods: About one-third of women with fibroids have heavy bleeding during their periods.1 For more, see How can I tell if my periods are heavy?
- Painful periods: You may get bad cramps in your pelvis just before or during your periods.
- Pain or pressure in your pelvis: About one-third of women with fibroids have a feeling of fullness or discomfort in their pelvis when they're not having their periods.1 3
- Having to pass urine often: If you have to urinate often, your fibroids may be pressing on your bladder.3
- Pain during sex: This can happen if your fibroids are near the neck of your womb (your cervix).
- How many you have
- How big they are
- Where they are.
Many women find out they have fibroids only when they have routine ultrasound scans because they're pregnant. If you don't have any symptoms, you probably don't need treatment.
Sources for the information on this page:
- Buttram VC, Reiter RC. Uterine leiomyomata: etiology, symptomatology, and management. Fertility and Sterility. 1981; 36: 433-445.
- Lumsden MA, Wallace EM. Clinical presentation of uterine fibroids. Baillieres Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1998; 12: 177-195.
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Uterine fibroids. Available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/fibroids (accessed on 29 August 2006).
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice.
Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
