Early symptoms of uterine fibroid malignancy

Written by Shen Li Wen
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Updated on September 05, 2024
00:00
00:00

Uterine fibroids are a type of benign lesion and generally grow slowly. Sometimes, even after several years of continuous re-examinations, the size of the uterine fibroids may not show significant changes. However, when uterine fibroids become malignant, their growth rate can accelerate, causing women to experience hidden pain in the lower abdomen. After the malignancy of uterine fibroids and an increase in size, they can also compress the pelvic floor nerves, leading to an intensification of abdominal pain; they can press forward against the bladder, causing frequent urination and urgency; and press backward against the rectum, resulting in changes in the characteristics of stools. Additionally, when some women's uterine fibroids turn malignant, they can also affect the surface area of the endometrium, impacting the menstrual cycle, such as causing irregular vaginal bleeding.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hou Jie
Obstetrics and Gynecology
1min 2sec home-news-image

How to recuperate from uterine fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive organs, composed of smooth muscle and connective tissue. Treatment varies depending on the patient's age, childbearing requirements, presence of symptoms, location and size of the fibroids, and their number. For asymptomatic fibroids, treatment is generally not necessary, especially for women nearing menopause. After menopause, fibroids often shrink or gradually disappear. In such cases, it is recommended to follow up every three to six months, or consider pharmaceutical treatment. Medication is suitable for those with mild symptoms, near menopausal age, or those who are not suitable for surgery. If there are complications such as heavy menstrual bleeding, resulting anemia, ineffective drug treatment, severe abdominal pain, or conditions like fibroid torsion or acute abdomen, surgical treatment is recommended.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Lin
Obstetrics and Gynecology
49sec home-news-image

Are uterine fibroids contagious?

The exact causes of uterine fibroids are not yet clear, but since fibroids commonly occur during reproductive years, are rarely seen before puberty, and tend to shrink or regress after menopause, it suggests that the occurrence of fibroids may be related to female hormones. Studies have shown that uterine fibroid tissues are highly sensitive to estrogen, which is one of the important factors in the development of fibroids. Additionally, research indicates that progesterone promotes mitotic activity in fibroids, stimulating the growth of uterine fibroids. Cytogenetic studies show that some uterine fibroids have chromosomal abnormalities. Based on these studies, it is evident that uterine fibroids are not contagious.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Huang Shuai
Obstetrics and Gynecology
1min 9sec home-news-image

How big a uterine fibroid can be without requiring treatment?

The size of uterine fibroids is one of the indicators we consider for whether treatment and surgery are necessary. It is generally believed that surgery is indicated when the diameter of a fibroid exceeds 6cm, or when the entire uterus is larger than the size it would be at ten weeks of pregnancy. However, in reality, the size of a uterine fibroid is not an absolute indicator for surgery. This means that even if the fibroid exceeds 6cm, or the entire uterus reaches around ten weeks in size, it doesn’t necessarily require surgery. At this point, other factors are usually also considered, such as whether there are symptoms, whether the large fibroids cause heavy menstruation and anemia, whether there are compression symptoms, the radiological appearance of the fibroids, whether they resemble malignant conditions, whether the fibroids are rapidly growing, and whether the fibroids are located in special areas like the cervix, the hip ligament, or submucosal. Thus, the size of the uterine fibroids is just one aspect we consider for treatment or surgery; the presence of symptoms and whether the fibroids are malignant, among others, are actually more important.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Shan Shan
Obstetrics and Gynecology
1min 5sec home-news-image

What should I do about uterine fibroids?

Uterine fibroids first require examining the location and size of the fibroids. Uterine fibroids can be classified into subserosal fibroids, submucosal fibroids, and intramural fibroids. If it is a submucosal fibroid, no matter the size of the fibroid, it is necessary to promptly perform a hysteroscopic submucosal fibroid surgery. If the submucosal fibroid is large, it may be necessary to perform a hysterectomy through abdominal surgery. For intramural and subserosal fibroids, if the fibroid's diameter exceeds five centimeters or if the fibroid is growing rapidly, surgical treatment is recommended at that time, because there is a chance of malignant transformation in uterine fibroids, which ranges from 0.2% to 0.3%. Therefore, once such a situation occurs, surgical treatment is required.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Lin
Obstetrics and Gynecology
36sec home-news-image

Can you eat sea cucumber with uterine fibroids?

People with uterine fibroids can eat sea cucumber. The cause of uterine fibroids is not very clear at present. Studies have shown that uterine fibroids may be caused by chromosomal genetic misplacement in the body. However, since most uterine fibroids shrink after menopause, it is considered that uterine fibroids are related to increased levels of sex hormones in the body. Sea cucumber is a food that can enhance the immune system and has no relation to the formation of uterine fibroids. Therefore, people with uterine fibroids can eat sea cucumber.