Uterine Fibroids

Question 1

What % of white and black women do fibroids occur in later in their reproductive years?

Answer 1

20% in white women

50% in black women

Question 2

What are some features of uterine fibroids?

Answer 2

• May be asymptomatic
• Menorrhagia
• Lower abdominal pain: cramping pains, often during menstruation
• Bloating
• Urinary symptoms, e.g. frequency, may occur with larger fibroids
• Subfertility

Question 3

How are they diganosed?

Answer 3

Transvaginal USS

Question 4

How are uterine fibroids managed?

Answer 4

• Medical: symptomatic management e.g. with combined oral contraceptive pill. GnRH agonists may reduce the size of the fibroid but are typically useful for short-term treatment
• Surgery is sometimes needed: myomectomy, hysterscopic endometrial ablation, hysterectomy
• Uterine artery embolization

Question 5

Uterine fibroids develop in response to what?

Answer 5

Oestrogen.

They dont occur before puberty and tend to not progress following menopause.

Question 6

What is a complication of uterine fibroids & when does it occur?

Answer 6

Red degeneration - haemorrhage into tumour - commonly occurs during pregnancy.

It basically happens when fibroid’s blood supply gets cut off by a growing baby and it bleeds into itself which causes all this pain.