Having your doctor diagnose you with a “tumor” can be a very scary experience.  However, for most women, uterine fibroids, or fibroid tumors, are nothing to worry about. As many as 80 percent of women will develop at least one uterine fibroid by the age of 50, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These tumors can be tiny (less than an inch in diameter) or can grow quite large, up to the size of a cantaloupe. The Society of Interventional Radiology reports that these fibroids can cause the abdomen to swell to the size of a five-month pregnancy, according to.

What Are Uterine Fibroids?

These muscular tumors, also called leiomyomas, grow on the walls of the uterus, and are almost always benign. They are the most common form of tumor found in the female genital tract. Some women won’t even know that they have them, because the growths will be completely asymptomatic. In other women, these fibroids can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms, which can include:

●      Abdominal pain or severe menstrual cramps

●      Heavy menstrual bleeding

●      Frequent urination, as a result of pressure that large fibroids may put on the bladder

●      Rectal pressure, as a result of fibroids pushing onto the rectum

●      In rare cases, these fibroids can become quite large, causing an enlarged abdomen and a pregnant-like appearance