If you're concerned about fibroids, you're not alone. These common uterine growths, which can range from really small to quite large, affect about 35 million American women. Many women will have at least one uterine fibroid by 50. But being diagnosed with fibroids isn’t a reason to despair, as you may have been told.
Despite the condition's prevalence, accurate treatment information is challenging to come by. There are various misconceptions about uterine fibroids ranging from how they affect fertility to whether they can cause cancer. Here is a list of six myths about uterine fibroids that should be addressed ASAP.
1. Fibroids are cancerous
The first concern that most patients have after learning they have uterine fibroids is whether or not they are cancerous. Thankfully, the answer is no! Fibroids are benign growths that are not associated with uterine cancer. They can create unpleasant symptoms that impair your quality of life, but they are rarely catastrophic.
If you have fibroids, you are unlikely to require invasive treatments such as chemotherapy or open surgery. Most women's fibroids can be treated with medication or uterine fibroid embolization.
2. Fibroids always require treatment
Up to 70% of women have fibroids, yet many are unaware of it. If fibroids were discovered by chance during an ultrasound, not everyone needs treatment. Most fibroids develop half a centimeter to a centimeter each year. If you aren't having symptoms or aren't trying to conceive, you can take a watchful waiting strategy. Routine checkups and imaging tests will be used to track their growth. If you have symptoms, you can talk about other treatment choices.
3. Fibroids always cause pelvic pain
While some women do endure pelvic pain and other terrible fibroid symptoms that interfere with their everyday life, each woman is unique. Some women with fibroids have no visible symptoms.
What else? Other symptoms, such as lower back pain, constipation, excessive urination, painful periods and bleeding, and pain during sex, overlap with other problems, requiring an examination by a skilled professional.
4. Fibroids always cause infertility
Although fibroids can have an impact on pregnancy by causing early deliveries, changing the shape of the cervix, lowering the amount of sperm that can enter the uterus, or influencing the baby's placement, they are only detected in 2% to 12% of pregnant women and are normally not a problem. The majority of fibroids do not grow to be very big or create issues. A fibroid usually grows during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
5. Hysterectomy is the only treatment option for fibroids
One of the most popular fibroid treatment misconceptions is that a hysterectomy is the only option. According to a recent survey by the Society of Interventional Radiology, 20% of women questioned assumed that hysterectomy, an invasive procedure that removes the uterus either partially or completely, was the only treatment option for uterine fibroids. Hysterectomy is a cure, not a therapy, for uterine fibroids.
While a hysterectomy may be the best decision for some women, it should never be your one and only option. Before making your final decision, gather information and learn about the advantages of using less invasive techniques.
6. Fibroids mainly affect women in their thirties and forties
This fibroids myth is readily refuted because studies estimate that 70 to 80% of all women acquire fibroids between the ages of 35 and 54. Fibroids, on the other hand, can occur in women as early as their twenties, particularly at any moment during their reproductive years. Because fibroid growth is linked to the hormones progesterone and estrogen, the only period when their levels fall is during menopause.
