Not all UFs are symptomatic, but those that are can grow, causing:
• Heavy and painful menstruation; bleeding between periods; longer-lasing periods
• Painful sexual intercourse
• Urinary frequency and urgency
• Pelvic pain / pressure;
• Abdominal fullness, gas, constipation
• Pregnancy complications (rare) - increased blood flow and estrogen levels during pregnancy may cause UFs to grow, but return to normal size after delivery. Insufficient room in uterus may require early delivery; C-section may be needed if UFs block birth canal or cause wrong positioning of baby; may cause heavy bleeding immediately after giving birth.
Other complications of fibroids include:
• A pedunculated fibroid can become twisted and cause a kink in the blood vessels feeding the tumor - may need surgery;
• Anemia - may be severe with heavy bleeding
• Urinary tract infections - pressure from the fibroid can prevent bladder emptying fully;
• Malignant change (extremely rare) - called a leiomyosarcoma
• Infertility (rare)
