Uterine fibroids are a common issue that many women face at some point in their lives. While some races and groups of women are more likely to get fibroids, all women who have a uterus can get fibroids. While these tumors are normally benign, they can grow to be very big in terms of size. If you have fibroids or if you expect to get fibroids at some point because they run in your family, you may be wondering about the impact fibroids will have on your relationships. Here is everything you need to know about the impact uterine fibroids can have on your romantic and platonic relationships.
What are fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are tumors that grow on or within the uterus and are benign in nature. This means that fibroids are not an indication of cancer in most cases, even though these growths can become very big. Uterine fibroids develop in the muscle tissue of the uterus. Most commonly, fibroids grow in the wall of the uterus. However, they can also grow outside of the wall of the uterus or even within the actual uterine cavity. Women can have just one or multiple fibroids in their uterus at one time. Other common names for uterine fibroids include uterine leoimyomas and myomas.
Fibroids can be small or incredibly large in size. In fact, fibroids can develop and grow to be as large as a melon. At the same time, fibroids can be as small as a pea. The size of fibroids varies from woman to woman. Not only that, but women can have both small and large fibroids in their uterus at the same time. Even the fibroids that grow to incredibly large sizes are usually benign. While fibroids are noncancerous in most cases, they can end up negatively impacting the function of the uterus and nearby organs if they grow to very large sizes. The presence of several large fibroids can distort organs and impair function.
What impact do fibroids have on daily life?
The impact fibroids have on your daily life will depend on a number of factors. In some cases, uterine fibroids will not impact daily life for a woman at all because of the lack of symptoms. In other cases, uterine fibroids will result in a number of severe symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms of fibroids include pain, heavy periods, fever, nausea, and vomiting. The severity of all of these symptoms can range from light to extreme. Physicians recommend that women take pain medications to deal with the pain associated with uterine fibroids.
Fibroids definitely have a negative impact on daily life for women who experience extreme pain or nausea. In some cases, women experience such severe pain that they become incapable of going to work, doing chores around the house, or just living their life. Spouses of women with serious pain from fibroids may become frustrated because they are forced to take on more responsibilities. If a woman quits her job as a result of the severe pain, this may lead to financial instability for a family, which is not a good recipe for a healthy relationship for a couple.
Women with extreme pain from fibroids may lose contact with friends and coworkers because of their inability to go to work or even just leave their bed for an extended period of time.
What impact do fibroids have on sex?
For some women, uterine fibroids have no impact on their sex lives. However, for other women, fibroids have essentially eliminated the possibility of a sex life for a couple. In some cases, fibroids can cause extreme pain for a woman during sexual intercourse. As you’d expect, this can lead to discomfort and even resentment for both spouses.
In some cases, a woman will feel like she is not fulfilling her role or “duty” as a wife because she is unable to have sex with her husband. Some husbands, out of frustration, resort to adultery in order to satiate their needs. This then leads to feelings of resentment by the woman. Wives often feel helpless because they believe that they cannot stop the adultery as long as they cannot have sex with their husbands.
What impact do fibroids have on fertility?
While fibroids don’t impact fertility in most cases, it can result in infertility for some women. In general, fibroids will impact fertility if they grow to excessively large sizes or if they grow in the fallopian tubes of the uterus. Couples who believe that fibroids are reducing their fertility should visit a physician to rule out other potential causes of infertility.
Women who become infertile as a result of their fibroids may fall into a depression or state of discontent because they are unable to have children. This is why women who have a family history of fibroids are advised to have children earlier rather than later before they develop fibroids. The inability to have a child can impact the relationship between two spouses in a negative way. The husband may feel resentment towards the wife due to her inability to bear a child. Depression can also negatively affect the quality of the relationship of a couple.
What are some solutions?
If you feel that your fibroids are causing your quality of life and relationships to go down the drain, you should consider undergoing fibroid embolization. The fibroid embolization procedure is a non-invasive yet effective way to eliminate your fibroids. This procedure works by cutting off the flow of blood to your fibroids, so that they become smaller in size over time.
As you can see, fibroids can impact your platonic and romantic relationships in a number of serious ways. Fortunately, if you are suffering from your uterine fibroids, you can take action by undergoing a fibroid embolization procedure to improve your quality of life and save your relationships.
