Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) growths of the womb that often appear during childbearing years. They are also called leiomyomas or myomas, and they aren’t associated with an increased risk of developing uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer.

They are very common, with about 1 in 3 women developing fibroids at one point in their life. Most small fibroids cause no symptoms and therefore require no treatment.

If they are symptomatic, fibroids can present with symptoms like:

• Heavy or prolonged periods
• Bleeding in between periods
• Pressure symptoms on the bowels or bladder
• Chronic pelvic pain or backache

In some instances, fibroids can be associated with delayed fertility.

They can usually be diagnosed using a straightforward ultrasound scan, but in come cases an MRI scan might be required.

Treatment:

Most fibroids do not require treatment, and symptoms with small fibroids can usually be controlled with hormonal treatments like the contraceptive pill. The treatment of symptomatic fibroids depends on their size, site and the desired outcome. This will be discussed with you, but the main treatments currently available are:

• Insertion of a hormonal coil like the Mirena or Levosert (suitable for small fibroids)
• Hormone-suppressing drugs like Prostap
• Uterine Artery Embolisation – a procedure performed by a radiologist where the blood supply to the fibroid is cut off.
• Surgical removal (myomectomy), which can be through a hysteroscope (camera inside the womb), laparoscopic (key-hole surgery) or through an open procedure if the fibroids are very large.
• A hysterectomy (removal of the womb) might sometimes be necessary – the indications for this will be discussed with you.