UTERINE FIBROIDS: SYMPTOMS YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH

Fibroids can be "loud and obnoxious." But the good news is they're treatable.

- MACAELA MACKENZIE

UTERINE FIBROIDS AFFECT UP TO 80% OF PEOPLE WITH A UTERUS (and are two to three times more likely to occur in Black women) - and uterine fibroids symptoms tend to be "loud and obnoxious," says Dr Ruth Arumala, an OBGYN and fibroid specialist in Texas. While it's possible to have asymptomatic fibroids, "they make their presence known if they're symptomatic," Dr Arumala says.

Uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas or myomas, are non-cancerous growths found in or on the uterus which can be as small as a pea or as big as a grapefruit. Depending on their size and location, they could be wreaking havoc or you might not even know you have them. "Some women have ginormous fibroids and don't know, or they do know, but it doesn't necessarily bother them," says Dr Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB-GYN and fibroid expert.

Your gynaecologist may catch asymptomatic fibroids during a routine pelvic exam but typically, uterine fibroids go unnoticed unless they start causing symptoms, the most common of which is heavy menstrual bleeding. Uterine fibroid symptoms can range from "being a nuisance to being life-threatening," says Dr Arumala, so it's wise to know the signs you might have fibroids and keep an eye on any existing growths. Here's everything you need to know.

Types of fibroids

Uterine fibroids are classified by their location. Depending on where they are located, they can cause different symptoms. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) there are three main types of fibroids: subserosal fibroids, which occur outside of the uterus; intramural fibroids, which grow within the uterine lining; and submucosal fibroids, which live inside the uterine cavity.

Uterine fibroids symptoms

The most common symptoms of fibroids can be sorted into three categories, says Dr Arumala: bleeding, bulk symptoms, and reproductive symptoms.