A calcified uterine fibroid develops when a normal uterine fibroid shrinks and becomes hardened. Learn more about calcified fibroids, the symptoms associated with these types of fibroids and the treatment options available.

Fibroid Tumor Basics

A uterine fibroid is a common benign tumor that often grows in the uterus of a woman during her childbearing years. These tumors are composed of muscle cells, and they are typically dense and compact. When a fibroid tumor develops, it may grow in a cluster with other tumors or as a large single mass. In many cases, women develop multiple fibroid tumors at the same time. At this time, the etiology of fibroid tumors is unclear, but there are several theories that have been speculated including a genetic predisposition for fibroid development and the effect of different estrogen/progesterone levels. Fibroids may cause a number of different symptoms, including pain, weight gain, heavier periods and more.

What is a calcified fibroid?

A fibroid tumor typically becomes calcified after it outgrows its own blood supply. This forces the fibroid tumor to degenerate and decrease in size. As it degenerates, calcium deposition begins. Over time, the tumor can become completely calcified. In most cases, calcification occurs during menopause as a result of changes to the woman’s normal hormonal makeup, including the decrease in estrogen levels.

As with an ordinary fibroid tumor, a calcified tumor’s symptoms can vary based on its size and position. However, once a uterine fibroid becomes calcified, it stops growing. Thus, many women with calcified fibroids notice a reduction in the severity of the pain associated with the tumor. Nonetheless, pressure on the area of the calcified fibroid may still lead to constant waist pain, which is usually made worse during menstruation.  The symptoms associated with the calcified fibroid may decrease even more after menopause.

How do I know if I have a calcified fibroid?

Calcified fibroids are usually diagnosed with a non-invasive ultrasound, MRI or CT scan. These are the same technologies used to diagnose normal fibroid tumors. Calcified uterine fibroids have a distinctive appearance on these reports, making it easy for the radiologist to recognize them and distinguish them from other tumors. In some cases, fibroid tumors that are only partly calcified may be discovered.

Treating a calcified fibroid

Although they may look very different from other types of fibroids, treatment options for calcified fibroids aren’t much different than the options available for normal fibroids. Because the calcified fibroid is formed during the end stage of the degenerative process, however, it may not be necessary to treat the fibroid, especially if the symptoms associated with fibroid are diminishing. On the other hand, if the fibroid continues to cause symptoms for the patient, treatment options may be available to alleviate pain and other issues.

If you are interested in seeking fibroid treatment for one or more calcified fibroid tumors, you need to talk to an experienced doctor to find out whether you would benefit from treatment. Please contact us today at (866) 479-1523 for a free consultation.

Find out about up-to-date information on what’s happening in the the Fibroid Health Community!

On November 22-23, 2010 research health professionals of all fields, including those in medicine, epidemiology, basic research, and therapeutics, will come together at the William H. Natcher Conference Center National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland to exchange scientific information among members of the uterine leiomyoma (fibroids) research community.  These individuals will join forces to tackle the issue of uterine fibroids which affects anywhere between 20-80% of women .  Participants from all corners of academia, medicine, government and industry will take part in this conference to discuss an array of topics that may hopefully allow the medical profession to take one step closer to decreasing the impact that fibroids have on women.

A recently completed NIH epidemiological study found that by age 50, the cumulative incidence of uterine fibroids was over 80 percent for African-American women and about 70 percent for Caucasian women. These percentages demonstrate that many women do not know they have fibroids, which may remain undetected until symptoms develop.

The conference objectives are to discuss fibroids, which are the most common gynecologic abnormal growth of cells in women of reproductive age. It is also deemed as the number one cause of hysterectomy, which in turn can often have a weighty negative impact on women’s physical and emotional well being.

Future research will support the development of prevention strategies, new drugs targeted at growth inhibition, new devices currently being evaluated, better information on why these cells grow, and more individually tailored out-patient removal/reduction treatments. Quality of life is an important area of research for women experiencing this condition.

Some topics that will be  covered include: Clinical Management and Therapeutic Strategies, Epidemiology. Pathogenesis, Environmental Influences, Model Systems, Hormonal Regulation, and Molecular and (Epi)Genetic Characteristics.

Find out about what current research has to say about the affect of birth control pills on fibroids.

The answer to this question is unknown. Research has shown that there may be an association between birth control pills, or BC, and fibroids; however, this link has yet to be proven. There is no real evidence that demonstrates  the effectiveness of BC pill treatment for fibroids. Some women use BC as a method to minimize or control the bleeding that is associated with fibroids.  This is thought to be due to the idea that the use of low dose birth control pills may decrease hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, which may in turn decrease their stimulatory effect on fibroid growth. At any rate, taking these pills will not alleviate the prolonged bleeding associated with fibroids.

If you have any additional questions about fibroids or are curious as to how taking birth control pills will affect you, please contact us directly by calling 866-362-64633 or by requesting a free phone consultation. Additionally, you can find us on Twitter @fibroiddoctor and on Facebook at facebook.com/fibroids.

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Have you been diagnosed with a pedunculated fibroid and want to learn more it? Learn about what differentiates this type of fibroid from the others along with some common symptoms.

My doctor told me that I have an 8cm long, 4cm tall, 6cm wide fibroid. What’s really crazy about this growth is that it isn’t in the uterine lining or in the uterus, but it’s attached to the outer part of my uterus by a stalk. What does all of this mean?

This fibroid is known as a Pedunculated fibroid and is not as common as other types of fibroids in the main uterine muscle. The fibroid is a benign muscle growth, usually one cell that has just replicated itself over and over. The pedunculated fibroids generally do not cause abnormal bleeding because they are remote from the uterine lining that is shed each month during menses. These types of fibroids can occasionally twist (torsion) and cause severe pain; however, this does not occur often.

For the most part, however, they don’t usually produce too many symptoms unless they are big enough to cause abdominal fullness, which can sometimes make one appear to be pregnant.A fibroid the size that you have described may be removed laparoscopically alone or laparoscopically with a vaginal incision to deliver the fibroid rather than a major abdominal incision. You may also choose to undergo Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) which is a  non-invasive, non-surgical, out-patient procedure.

UFE requires a very small incision, about the size of a freckle, which is made in your upper thigh. A tiny catheter is inserted through this incision and into the femoral artery. Using x-ray guidance, a trained physician locates the feeder vessels which supply blood to each fibroid. Microscopic inert particles are injected into the vessels, blocking blood supply that nourishes the fibroid. Without a steady blood supply, the fibroids begin to dwindle and shrink.

Learn more about Uterine Fibroid Embolization online, or contact us directly by calling 866-362-64633 or by requesting a free phone consultation.

Many women that suffer from fibroids may notice that other female members in their family may share the same issue. Read inside to see why genetics may be a predictor of whether or not a woman is prone to fibroids.

My mother had a complete hysterectomy at 45 because of fibroids. My sister that is 6 years younger than I am recently had a hysterectomy. She only had 1 fibroid but she said that she couldn’t stand the symptoms of her fibroids. Now I have the same problem, is this a hereditary problem?

As far as research has shown, fibroids are not hereditary. They do have a strange genetic pattern, however, in that many fibroids are monoclonal (derived from the same cell). In other words, if a woman has multiple fibroids, sometimes all of those fibroids come from a single cell as if that cell were cloned. This has led some people to hypothesize that a virus is involved in producing the fibroid cells that then grow and replicate like a cancer, but in a controlled, non-invasive fashion. This is not to say that fibroids are cancerous, they are not cancerous.  However, it may be possible that if they are to act as a “virus” then people in the same family could be susceptible; not because of genetics, but because of exposure to the same virus, further allowing other family members to also grow fibroids.

At any rate, at this point in time, there is no research that justifies the idea that fibroids are hereditary.  There is, however, data that demonstrates the high occurrence of fibroids in the African American race. (바카라 사이트)  It is estimated that approximately 40% of African American women suffer with fibroid tumors before menopause, in contrast to less than 20% in their white counterparts.

You can learn more about Fibroid Treatments online, or contact us directly by calling 866-362-64633 or by requesting a free phone consultation.

Experiencing stomach protrusion and wondering if Uterine Artery Embolization can do the trick to reduce it?

In most cases the fibroid (or fibroids) shrink to a size where they are not visible on the outside. It depends, however, on the size of your fibroid(s) and the amount of time it takes for them to shrink. Because UFE does not completely remove the fibroid, there is the possibility that a slight protrusion in the stomach will remain.  However, whether or not this will be the case is different for each patient.  If this is a main concern for you, you should discuss it with your physician and see if embolization is right for you.

If you would like to learn more about fibroids and uterine fibroid embolization, you may give the Fibroid Treatment Collective a call at 866-362-6463 and a qualified health professional will be available to answer all of your standing questions. You will also have the opportunity to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Bruce McLucas so that he can better access your individual health condition or answer any additional questions that you may have.

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Virtually all fibroids respond to Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE). The question is will there be enough shrinkage to relieve symptoms? Generally speaking, the smaller the fibroid the better the response. However, even in a uterine size up to a 22-24 weeks of gestation or less, a 40-60% shrinkage is possible. In much larger fibroids which are greater than this size, the shrinkage may be a bit less when compared to a smaller sized fibroid being that the resulting shrinkage is relative to the starting size of the fibroid.

Also, it appears that after  women with reasonably large fibroids have under gone UAE, there is still a considerable decrease in pain and pressure symptoms, as well as in bleeding abnormalities. However, while patients with near term size uteri have been treated with UFE, in practice, 22-24 weeks gestational size seems to be the upper limit where a good response can be anticipated. This size limit is far from absolute and each case needs to be evaluated individually.

Learn more about Uterine Fibroid Embolization online, or contact us directly by calling (866) 479-1523 or by requesting a free phone consultation.

Read here to find out some facts about pedunculated fibroids and some of the symptoms to look out for if you have this particular type of fibroids.

I was recently told by my doctor that I have fibroids inside and outside of my uterus. I have an appointment coming up where she will discuss my treatment options with me.  My question is in regards to the effects of fibroids.  I have been experiencing nausea for some time now.  Is this common?

There are several complications that may arise with the presence of fibroids.  Common symptoms include heavy bleeding, bloating, pain in the lower back, urinary incontinence, etc.  With fibroids that are “outside of your uterus”, called pedunculated fibroids, additional symptoms can come about.  Because pedunculated fibroids consist of a fibroid that is connected to your uterus by a stem,  they  may twist and can cause pain, nausea, or fever.

Pedunculated fibroids consist of two general types: subserosal and submucosal.  Subserosal fibroids are located underneath the mucosal (peritoneal) surface of the uterus and can become very large. These pedunculated growths can actually detach from the uterus to become a parasitic leiomyoma. Submucosal fibroids are located in the muscle beneath the endometrium of the uterus and distort the uterine cavity. A pedunculated lesion within the cavity is termed an intracavitary fibroid and can be passed through the cervix which can inevitably cause pain and pressure during sex.

Left untreated, fibroid tumors and their associated symptoms can cause health risks and complications in the future. If you think that you have any of the above or other symptoms of fibroids contact your primary care provider or OB/Gyn as soon as possible.

Learn more about Uterine Fibroid Embolization online, or contact us directly by calling (866) 479-1523 or by requesting a free phone consultation.

Read here to learn about 5 common questions women ask about fibroids. Take this list with you to your next Ob-Gyn visit!

1.  What is the size and location of my fibroids and can the fibroids affect my fertility?

The size and location of the fibroid has the ability to greatly reduce your ability to conceive or not at all. The primary issue that is greatly considered is whether the uterine cavity is distorted, which can cause it to interfere with an embryo’s ability to implant and thrive.  Your physician can find out this information by carrying out some diagnostic tests which reveal this information.

2.  If fibroids run in my family should I plan to have children sooner?

Across the board, most physicians will agree that it’s always wise to have children sooner rather than later because a woman’s age plays such a significant role in the quality of her eggs and potential complications during pregnancy. Because fibroids have the ability to affect conception and can possibley even cause miscarriage, one may be better off planning child birth sooner, rather than later so as to avoid additional complications that may arise.

3.  What are my treatment options?

Hysterectomy is a method that completely rids your body of fibroids by having your uterus removed. However, this procedure also shuts the door on future pregnancies and requires hospitalization, as well as six to eight weeks for recovery. Uterine artery embolization is a popular alternative that typically involves only one night in the hospital and a week of rest. It is a less invasive procedure that is optimal for women that want to experience the benefits of fibroid treatment without having to spend extended periods for recovery. Myomectomy, or removal of the fibroids while leaving the uterus intact, is another treatment for women trying to get pregnant, but it carries a risk of recurrence, and its effect on fertility hasn’t been studied. Currently, these procedures are among the most practiced for the treatment of fibroids; however, you may ask your doctor about additional treatment options that you may also find favorable.

4.  How can I tell if I really need treatment?

Diagnostic tests are more refined than ever in measuring the size and location of fibroids and helping your physician to predict their effects.

Additionally, you may also want to do some “soul searching” so as to gauge how severe your symptoms are and whether or not they are affecting your quality of life.  If you find that your symptoms are posing as an impediment, you may want to look into treatment.

5.  What is the risk of my fibroids growing back with each procedure?

Fibroids can recur, unless the uterus is removed, and the risk varies slightly with each of the new procedures.

Learn more about Uterine Fibroid Embolization online, or contact us directly by calling (866) 479-1523 or by requesting a free phone consultation.