Uterine Fibroids at a Young Age

Before my mom had me, she had uterine fibroids that were so large they had to be removed. Her age - about under thirty. Uterine fibroids are the baby that you wish you were having, but it's definitely not a baby. Fibroids grow in the uterine wall and can be a tiny as a dot or a large as grapefruits. They can grow so big that they can put pressure on your kidneys, bladder or other internal organs. If they are growing inside of you and you are oblivious ans just think you are gaining some weight, they could be putting so much pressure on those organs that they cause you to become constipated or cause you to have kidney problems.

People don't really know what causes uterine fibroid tumors. However, they show up more often in African American women than women of other cultures and they seem to occur more in women whose mothers have had them as well. They are usually malignant, and can cause serious symptoms such as painful menstrual cycles, heavy bleeding, and a loss of iron.

Many women don't know they have fibroids until they are pregnant and they show up on the ultrasound. However, if you are not getting pregnant right now, you could still have them without knowing it. A routine gynecological check up can reveal fibroids. The doctor will feel your stomach and he may say to you, "Is your stomach usually this firm?" If you think to yourself, "Gee, I haven't been to the gym lately," that firmness could be fibroid tissue growing in your uterine walls. Then next step will be an ultrasound, and if you've never had a baby before, your very first ultrasound won't find a baby. This time around, the doctor will look for tumors. However, if you catch them early you could avoid all kinds of symptoms and other problems. So, if you are under age 30, don't exempt yourself. After you do your self breast exam, feel your abdomen. Early detection is key.