Intramural Fibroid
The Truth About Intramural Fibroid
It is believed that one quarter of all women will get an intramural fibroid. This type of fibroid grows inside the uterine wall. It is a non-cancerous growth that most often appears in women at the end of their childbearing years; most usually between the ages of 35-45. These days many women wait until their thirties before starting a family so this can be a problem for them. Nobody really seems to know why they develop, and there is no real way of predicting which women will get them and which won’t. We will now examine some of the issues surrounding this type of benign growth.
The first sign that a woman has an intramural fibroid might be the fact that she has what looks like a beer belly or she may even look pregnant. She may try to diet or exercise, but just won’t be able to get rid of it. This appearance of an enlarged tummy will be due to the fact that the fibroid has caused the uterus to take up more space. As well as this lump around her belly she might also begin to notice differences with her menstrual period. Maybe her periods start to become more painful than usual or there could be an increase in the amount of bleeding and clots, she might also have a lot of pain around the pelvic area. It has also been noticed that this type of fibroid may make women infertile or cause a miscarriage.
As well as symptoms connected to the menstrual cycle the woman might also have problems with her bowels and with passing urine. The pressure on the colon may make it difficult for her to pass a bowel motion and similarly anything pressing down on the bladder or urethra can cause problems. When an intramural fibroid become too big they can press down on the kidneys and block the blood flow; this is really dangerous because it could damage the kidneys permanently.
Having intramural fibroid does not always mean that you will need to have them removed. In fact most women don’t and these just stay in their bodies with there being any type of problem. There is believed to be a really high percentage of women who have the condition and don’t even realise, because they have no real symptoms. It is only really when the fibroids start causing difficulties that they may need to be removed.
There are different options available when it comes to treating an intramural fibroid. One option is to have surgery performed to remove it; a myomectomy is where the surgeon uses an incision in your abdomen area to take out the offending tumour. Like all forms of surgery this procedure carries risk in regards to opening up your body and with regards to anaesthesia. Another surgical option is Uterine Artery Embolization; with this procedure the surgeon cuts of the blood supply to the tumour and this causes it to quickly die. The problem with Uterine Artery Embolization is not just the usual risks of surgery, but there also seems to be a higher risk of infection.
Hopefully the reasons why these intramural fibroids occur will be better understood in the future, and maybe there will be even ways to prevent them. As we have seen they won’t be a problem for most woman, but for those who want to start a family in their mid-thirties it does greatly increase the risk of miscarriage. If you have observed any of the symptoms that might suggest you have the condition or you have any reason to suspect it then you would be wise to speak to your physician.