Also called: Also called: Fibroids, Uterine leiomyomata
Uterine fibroids are the most common non-cancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. Fibroids are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus, or womb. The cause of fibroids is unknown. Risk factors include being African-American or being overweight.
Many women with uterine fibroids have no symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include
- Heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods
- Feeling "full" in the lower abdomen
- Urinating often
- Pain during sex
- Lower back pain
- Reproductive problems, such as infertility, multiple miscarriages or early labor
Most women with fibroids can get pregnant naturally. For those who cannot, infertility treatments may help. Treatment for uterine fibroids includes medicines that can slow or stop their growth, or surgery. If you have no symptoms, you may not even need treatment.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Uterine Fibroids(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/uterine_fibroids.cfm
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Uterine Fibroids(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/uterinefibroids/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/uterinefibroidsspanish/htm/index.htm
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Fibroids(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/fibroids.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.fda.gov/womens/getthefacts/Spanish/fibroids-Spanish.html
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Uterine Fibroids(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/fibroids.htm
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/preguntas/fibroids.htm
- Uterine Fibroids(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/fibroids.cfm
- Uterine Fibroids Guide(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/uterine-fibroids/UF99999/PAGE=all&METHOD=print
- Tibolone Helpful during Treatment of Fibroids(08/28/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68644.html
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Diagnostic Laparoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/laparoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/laparoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Ultrasound - Pelvis(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=pelvus
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=pelvus
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Dilation and Curettage(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/dilatationandcurettage/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/dilatationandcurettagespanish/htm/index.htm
- Myomectomy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/myomectomy/UF00016/METHOD=print
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Uterine Fibroid Embolization: A New Way to Treat Fibroids(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/601.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/601.printerview.html
- Uterine Fibroid Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment(Society of Interventional Radiology) - http://www.sirweb.org/patients/uterine-fibroids/
- Uterine Fibroids: Risk Factors(National Uterine Fibroids Foundation) - http://www.nuff.org/health_riskfactors.htm
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Diagnostic Laparoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/laparoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/laparoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
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Dilation and Curettage(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/dilatationandcurettage/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/dilatationandcurettagespanish/htm/index.htm
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Uterine Fibroids(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/uterinefibroids/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/uterinefibroidsspanish/htm/index.htm
- Robotic Myomectomy Procedure(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=209
- Uterine Fibroid Embolization(OR-Live) - Requires media player - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=198
- Description of the Uterus(National Uterine Fibroids Foundation) - http://www.nuff.org/health_theuterus.htm
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Leiomyoma(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Leiomyoma%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Uterine Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Uterine+Neoplasms%22
- Genetics Home Reference: Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=hereditaryleiomyomatosisandrenalcellcancer
- Uterine Fibroids(National Institutes of Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/UterineFibroids.pdf
- Article: Uterine artery embolization versus occlusion for uterine leiomyomas: a pilot... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18439501&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Are fibroids that become endocavitary after uterine artery embolization necessarily... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18430836&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Submucosal fibroids becoming endocavitary following uterine artery embolization: risk assessment... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18430835&tool=MedlinePlus
- Uterine Fibroids -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(leiomyoma[majr]+AND+uterus[mh])+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm
- Find an Interventional Radiologist(Society of Interventional Radiology) - http://members.sirweb.org/eseries/scriptcontent/index_members_search.cfm?section=customer
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
- National Uterine Fibroids Foundation - http://www.nuff.org
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National Women's Health Information Center(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://womenshealth.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/
- Hysterectomy - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hysterectomy.html
- Uterine Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/uterinecancer.html
- Uterine Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/uterinediseases.html
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Uterine Fibroids is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/