Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Fibroids?SymptomsDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Are Fibroids?
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Uterine fibroids are a very common gynecological condition that can cause pelvic pain and heavy menstrual periods. Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in the walls of the uterus (womb).
Fibroid pain feels like pressure, heaviness, or a dull pain in your pelvis. Where you feel fibroid pain depends on the location of the fibroid, its size, and your anatomy. A very large fibroid can also cause low back pain, bladder and bowel problems, and painful intercourse.
This article discusses fibroid pain and other symptoms. It also explains how fibroids are diagnosed and treated.
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What Are Uterine Fibroids?
Afibroidis a benign tumor made of muscle cells (myocytes) and collagen that can develop in different areas of the uterus. They can appear as a single tumor, or you can have multiple fibroids at once.
Fibroids can be as small as a grain of rice or bigger than a baseball. Fibroids can besymptomaticor cause no symptoms (asymptomatic).
Each fibroid has a unique life cycle. Some fibroids develop slowly, while others grow rapidly. Fibroids typically break down (degenerate) on their own over time, but new ones often develop.
Who’s at Risk for Fibroids?
Up to 70% of women will develop at least one fibroid before menopause.Factors that increase the risk of developing fibroids include:
Are Uterine Fibroids More Common In Black Women?
Fibroid Pain Symptoms
Uterine fibroids can cause symptoms related to bowel and bladder function, abnormal menstrual bleeding, or abdominal, lower back, pelvic, or groin pain.
A fibroid’s size and location can affect how much pain it causes. Large fibroids can compress or irritate nerves, obstruct the bladder or bowel, or cause pelvic pain, pressure, and bloating.
Researchers estimate only about 30% of people with leiomyomas will seek treatment for fibroid pain and other symptoms.
Pelvic Pain
Fibroids do not always cause pain, but when they do, it may feel like:
The exact location and degree of pain will depend on its size, where it is in your uterus, the number of fibroids you have, and individual pelvic anatomy.
Fibroid pain can be cyclical (worsening during your menstrual period) or occur all month. Other characteristics of fibroid pelvic pain include:
Can Fibroids Cause Sharp Pelvic Pain?Fibroids can also cause sharp, acute pain as they degenerate. Typically, when this occurs:The pain is in one specific location.It improves on its own within two to four weeks.Over-the-counter pain medication and a heating pad can bring relief.Pedunculated fibroids (which grow from the outer uterus on a stalk) can also get twisted during sudden movements, causing severe pain.In rare cases, a spontaneous hemorrhagic infarction (blockage of blood supply) of a fibroid can occur. This is known as red degeneration and is more common during pregnancy.Pain from red degeneration can be sharp, severe, and constant abdominal pain.
Can Fibroids Cause Sharp Pelvic Pain?
Fibroids can also cause sharp, acute pain as they degenerate. Typically, when this occurs:The pain is in one specific location.It improves on its own within two to four weeks.Over-the-counter pain medication and a heating pad can bring relief.Pedunculated fibroids (which grow from the outer uterus on a stalk) can also get twisted during sudden movements, causing severe pain.In rare cases, a spontaneous hemorrhagic infarction (blockage of blood supply) of a fibroid can occur. This is known as red degeneration and is more common during pregnancy.Pain from red degeneration can be sharp, severe, and constant abdominal pain.
Fibroids can also cause sharp, acute pain as they degenerate. Typically, when this occurs:
Pedunculated fibroids (which grow from the outer uterus on a stalk) can also get twisted during sudden movements, causing severe pain.
In rare cases, a spontaneous hemorrhagic infarction (blockage of blood supply) of a fibroid can occur. This is known as red degeneration and is more common during pregnancy.Pain from red degeneration can be sharp, severe, and constant abdominal pain.
How to Identify and Treat Fibroid Pain
Heavy Vaginal Bleeding
Abnormal bleeding is a common problem with fibroids, even small ones. In particular, submucosal fibroids (which grow just beneath the uterine lining), are linked to changes in menstrual bleeding.
Fibroids can affect menstruation in the following ways:
Low Back Pain
Fibroid pain is often felt in the lower back. When this happens, it often flairs up when you have your period and can feel like menstrual cramps in your lower back, a general aching sensation, or stiffness.
Fibroids that are large or on the back of the uterus can irritate nerves in the pelvis and cause radiating pain down the legs.
Bowel or Bladder Problems
Depending on their location and size, fibroids can also produce bowel or bladder symptoms, such as:
Difficulty passing urine can lead to urinary tract infections as well.
Discomfort During Sex
Depending on their location, fibroids can also lead to painful intercourse. This is more common with large fibroids in the lower part of the uterus.
Do Fibroids Impact Fertility?It was long believed that fibroids could increase the chance ofmiscarriagebecause they distort the shape or size of the womb. This, in theory, could affect embryo implantation or trigger uterine contractions.However, a high-quality study published in 2017 put that old wives' tale to rest. It found the presence of fibroids did not increase the chance of miscarriage.
Do Fibroids Impact Fertility?
It was long believed that fibroids could increase the chance ofmiscarriagebecause they distort the shape or size of the womb. This, in theory, could affect embryo implantation or trigger uterine contractions.However, a high-quality study published in 2017 put that old wives' tale to rest. It found the presence of fibroids did not increase the chance of miscarriage.
It was long believed that fibroids could increase the chance ofmiscarriagebecause they distort the shape or size of the womb. This, in theory, could affect embryo implantation or trigger uterine contractions.
However, a high-quality study published in 2017 put that old wives' tale to rest. It found the presence of fibroids did not increase the chance of miscarriage.
Diagnosing Fibroid Pain
The first step in addressing fibroid pain and other symptoms is to visit your gynecologist.
They will need to rule out otherpossible conditionsthat could be causing your pain, such as endometriosis andadenomyosis. These conditions, which have symptoms that overlap with fibroids, can only be definitively diagnosed from surgery with biopsy and pathology.
To definitively diagnose you with fibroids, your doctor will consider your personal health history, symptom profile, and family history. They might use imaging tests, such as a transabdominal ortransvaginal ultrasound, as well.
How Uterine Fibroids Are Diagnosed
How Is Fibroid Pain Treated?
It’s important to talk to your doctor about medical treatment for fibroids. There are also some things you can try on your own that might help you manage your symptoms.
Home Remedies and Lifestyle
There is not much evidence to support home remedies specifically for fibroid pain, but you might find that they offer some relief. To help manage fibroid pain, try:
These techniques will not alter or cure your fibroids, but they can help change your perception of pain and correct muscle imbalances that developed due to pelvic pain.
Other lifestyle changes that can promote your overall health and may help relieve fibroid symptoms include:
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Treatments
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications that can help manage fibroid pain include:
While these treatments will not help the fibroids themselves, they can relieve fibroid pain enough for you to carry on with your daily activities.
How Does a TENS Unit Work?
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) may help to treat fibroids, though the evidence is lacking. CAM treatments that may help fibroids include:
Natural Alternative Treatments for Uterine Fibroids
Prescription Medications
Prescription medications are primarily used to manage symptomatic fibroids, but they can have significant side effects.
Types of medications used to treat fibroid pain and heavy bleeding include:
How Uterine Fibroids Are Treated
Procedures
You will need to consider your fertility goals when choosing a fibroid treatment. A myomectomy is the preferred surgical procedure to remove fibroids among those who wish to preserve their fertility.
Summary
Fibroids are the most common gynecological disorder. Fibroids can cause pelvic pain, abdominal pressure and heaviness, irregular and heavy menstrual bleeding, or bowel and bladder symptoms, but your experience will be unique.
Fibroids that are problematic can be treated with prescription medication, including antifibrinolytic agents, hormonal birth control, and GnRH agonists. If fibroids are causing severe symptoms, invasive treatments may include uterine artery embolization, uterine ablation, surgery to remove fibroids (myomectomy), or hysterectomy.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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