• Services
    • Advanced Primary Stroke Center
    • Back & Spine Center
    • Burn Intensive Care Unit
    • Cabell Huntington Hospital Clinics
    • Cafeteria
    • Center for Lung Health
    • Center for Wound Healing
    • Counseling Services
    • Diabetes Clinic
    • Diagnostic Cardiology
    • Digestive Diseases Center
    • Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • Emergency & Trauma
    • Gift Shop
    • Guest Services
    • Home Care Medicine
    • Home Health
    • Hoops Family Children's Hospital
    • Hospitalist Program
    • Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery
    • Intensive Care Unit
    • Joint Replacement
    • Kidney Dialysis
    • Laboratory
    • Mountain teleHEALTH
    • Neuroscience
    • Occupational Medicine
    • Orthopedics
    • Pain Management Center
    • Pastoral Care
    • Pediatric Craniofacial Clinic
    • Perinatal Center
    • Pharmacy
    • Pharmacy Practice Residency
    • Poison Control Center
    • Radiology
    • Rehabilitation Services
    • Sleep Disorders Center
    • Supportive Care Medicine
    • Surgery
    • Surgical Intensive Care Unit/Coronary Care Unit
    • Surgical Weight Control
    • Urgent Care
    • Urology
    • Volunteer Services
    • Women's Health
  • Stay Connected
    • In the News
    • Calendar of Events
  • Patients and Visitors
    • Online Learning
    • Advance Directives - Put it in Writing
    • Amenities & Services
    • Your Rights & Responsibilities
    • Shuttle Service
    • myHealthFile
    • Preparing to Go Home
    • Your Accommodations
    • Your Health & Safety as a Patient
    • Your Hospital Team
    • Visiting Hours
    • Service Animals
  • Customer Service
    • Medical Records
    • Birth Certificates
    • Billing & Financial Information
    • Insurance Plan Participation List
    • Financial Assistance Policy
    • CHH Standard Charges
    • Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
  • Employment
    • Hospital Ancillary Credentialing and Re-Credentialing
    • New Employee Onboarding
    • Job Shadowing Program
    • Internship Opportunities
    • Non-Employee Orientation
    • Employee E-mail
    • Current employees only: internal request for transfer or promotion
  • Foundation and Giving

  • myHealthFile
  • Online Bill Pay
  • About CHH
  • Contact us
Cabell Huntington Hospital
  • myHealthFile
  • Online Bill Pay
  • About CHH
  • Contact us
  • Menu
  • Services
  • Stay Connected
  • Patients and Visitors
  • Customer Service
  • Employment
  • Foundation and Giving
  • Home
  • Services
  • Women's Health
  • Understanding Uterine Fibroids

Understanding Uterine Fibroids

If you’ve experienced uterine fibroid symptoms, talk to your OB/GYN at Cabell Huntington Hospital to determine if treatment is necessary.

Fibroids are common, benign tumors of the uterus that affect about 30% of all women. They are the most frequently diagnosed tumor of the female pelvis. They are made of nodules of smooth muscle cells and fibrous tissue that usually develop in the wall of the uterus. Fibroids may grow as a single nodule or in clusters. They may range in size from 1/10 of an inch to 8 inches in diameter.

The majority of women with uterine fibroids have no symptoms; women who experience symptoms often report:

  • excessive or painful bleeding during menstruation
  • bleeding between periods
  • a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen
  • frequent urination resulting from a fibroid that presses on the bladder
  • pain during sexual intercourse
  • low back pain

Causes

Researchers have not identified any factors that cause fibroids to grow, but research has shown that you are more likely to have uterine fibroids if you:

  • are old enough to have a period or a baby
  • are African American
  • have a sedentary lifestyle
  • are overweight

Women who have given birth appear to be at a lower risk for fibroids.

Diagnosis & Treatment

Family doctors and gynecologists often discover uterine fibroids during a routine examination. Imaging of the pelvis using ultrasound, MRI or CAT scans may be needed in order to see the fibroids better.

Most fibroids do not require treatment other than regular observation by a doctor. Depending upon individual circumstances, treatment for women who experience symptoms may include:

  • a mild over-the-counter anti-inflammatory or painkilling drug
  • stronger prescription drugs
  • hormone therapy to reduce estrogen levels and shrinking the fibroids
  • surgical removal of the fibroid
  • At times, the surgeon may decide that taking the whole out along with the
  • hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)
  • uterine fibroid embolization

If you suspect that you may have uterine fibroids, please make an appointment with your OB/GYN or family doctor and discuss your concerns.

  Back to Women's Health
  • Understanding Uterine Fibroids
  • Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine
  • Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation
  • Mindful Eating
  • Urinary Incontinence in Women
  • Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS for Teens
  • Breast Health Center
  • Mother & Baby Health
  • Healthy Families
  • Age-Appropriate Parenting
Cabell Huntington Hospital logo Hoops Family Children's Hospital logo Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center logo St. Mary's Medical Center logo Huntington's Kitchen logo HIMG logo
Cabell Huntington Hospital
1340 Hal Greer Blvd
Huntington, WV 25701
304.526.2000

©2022 Cabell Huntington Hospital By using this website you are in agreement with the terms and conditions.