Get to know Uterine Fibroid Disease and How to Overcome It

The uterine disease is often a scourge for women. One of them is uterine fibroids, noncancerous illnesses that, if ignored, can be even more dangerous. Therefore, we will review uterine fibroid disease and how to deal with it this time.

Definition of Uterine Fibroids

Launching the Mayo Clinic, uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths from the uterus that often appear during a woman’s reproductive years. Another name for uterine fibroids is leiomyoma or myoma.

If you experience uterine fibroids, there’s no need to worry because, in most cases, these uterine fibroids or myomas will not develop into cancer. However, even so, uterine fibroids cannot be underestimated because they can cause a woman difficulty getting pregnant.

Uterine fibroids have various sizes, ranging from small sizes that cannot be seen to large sizes that can enlarge a woman’s uterus.

In severe cases, fibroids can expand the uterus until they reach the ribs. In addition, these fibroids can cause a woman to gain weight. Often these uterine fibroids are not realized there because the symptoms do not arise.

Causes of Uterine Fibroids

After knowing what uterine fibroids are, here are the causes of uterine fibroids that you need to know. By understanding the reasons, you can be more aware of the emergence of this disease.

• Hormone

One of the causes of uterine fibroids is hormones. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that thicken your uterine lining with each menstruation. After a woman has reached menopause, it is common for fibroids to shrink. It is due to a decrease in hormone production during menopause.

• Genetic Factors

Apart from hormones, genetic factors can also cause uterine fibroid disease. Reporting to Web Md, there are differences in the genetics of fibroids and normal cells in the uterus.

• Extracellular matrix (ECM)

An extracellular matrix (ECM) material can make cells stick together, like mortar on bricks. The ECM increases fibroids and makes them fibrous. In addition, ECM also contains growth factors and can cause biological changes in the cell itself.

• Growth Factor

Some substances in the body that function to maintain tissue, such as insulin, affect the growth of fibroids. The insulin hormone converts glucose into energy, which then is distributed to the body.

Risk Factors

Some of the risk factors that can cause a woman to experience uterine fibroids are as follows:

Ethnicity: Launching from the Mayo Clinic, women of the black race have a greater risk of experiencing uterine fibroids compared to other nationalities. In addition, those who have fibroids at a younger age are at risk for having more or larger fibroids.

Heredity: In addition to ethnicity, heredity can also play a role. If your mother or sister has uterine fibroids, you most likely can too.

Other Factors: Other factors can predispose you to uterine fibroids. Such as; menstruation at an early age, obesity, lack of vitamin D nutrition, too much consumption of red meat and less consumption of green vegetables, fruit and dairy products. In addition, excessive alcohol consumption is also a contributing factor to the occurrence of uterine fibroids.

Uterine Fibroids Diagnosis

As previously mentioned, uterine fibroids often show no symptoms, so we don’t know whether we have them. To make sure further, you can perform uterine fibroid diagnostics as below:

• Doing ultrasound

Ultrasound examination is not only helpful when going for a pregnancy check-up but can function to detect diseases that our own eyes cannot see.

This ultrasound technology uses sound waves to get an image of your uterus to confirm the diagnosis and determine how big the fibroids are in your uterus.

Even if you don’t feel symptoms or disease, there’s nothing wrong with having an ultrasound examination. It is to ensure that your uterus is healthy and free from disease.

• Laboratory test

In addition to an ultrasound examination by the doctor, you can do laboratory tests. If you feel that your period is not standard, your doctor may suggest that you have a test to find out the cause.

It includes a complete blood count to determine if you are anaemic due to blood loss and other blood tests to rule out bleeding or thyroid disorders.

Treating Uterine Fibroids

Treatment for removing uterine fibroids can vary depending on the size, number, location and symptoms of uterine fibroids. You don’t need treatment if you don’t experience symptoms because the fibroids are small. Fibroids may be monitored periodically, and a pelvic exam and ultrasound may be performed. However, if you have anemia or excessive bleeding and have pain in your urinary tract, you may need medical help.

Treatment of uterine fibroids can depend on several factors, including:

• Number of fibroids
• fibroid size
• Location of fibroids
• The symptoms you feel
• Your desire to conceive

Well, self-care also depends on your fertility goals in the future. If you want to have offspring in the future, there are some treatments you can’t do. Treatments that you can take to treat uterine fibroids are as follows:

KB: You can use KB to reduce the symptoms of uterine fibroids. Especially when you feel heavy bleeding during menstruation. You can use oral, intravaginal, injection or contraceptive pills (IUD). Choose what you feel comfortable with.

Iron supplements: You can take iron supplements if you have anaemia due to heavy bleeding.

Pain medication: You can get pain medication over the counter to treat the discomfort and pain caused by uterine fibroids.

Oral therapy: Elagolix is ​​a newer oral therapy helpful in reducing heavy uterine bleeding in premenopausal women with uterine fibroids. Make sure you consult with your doctor before using the medicine you will use.

So, that’s a review of uterine fibroids and how to deal with them. Make sure you do periodic checks to ensure your vital organs are healthy, so you can have the baby you dream of. Hopefully, it’s useful.