Question: What are the Symptoms of Uterine Fibroid Tumors?
Answer: Most fibroids do not cause any symptoms and do not require treatment other than regular observation by a physician. Fibroids may be discovered during routine gynecologic examination or during prenatal care. Some women who have uterine fibroids may experience symptoms such as excessive or painful bleeding during menstruation, bleeding between periods, a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen, frequent urination resulting from a fibroid that compresses the bladder, pain during sexual intercourse, or low back pain. Although reproductive symptoms such as infertility, recurrent spontaneous abortion, and early onset of labor during pregnancy have been attributed to fibroids to any of these symptoms. In rare cases, a fibroid can compress and block the fallopian tube, preventing fertilization and migration of the ovum (egg) after surgical removal of the fibroid, fertility is generally restored.
What to Expect During Your Gynecology Exam
Reproduced from the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services
