Thursday, June 2, 2011

Diagnosis of Fibroids

In majority of women uterine fibroids remain undiagnosed for a very long time because of absence of symptoms. In fact at the time of routine pelvic examination it is fairly simple to detect uterine tumors. Fibroids are basically benign tumors which develop in the muscular wall of the uterus. The exact cause of growth of fibroids still remains a mystery.  Hormonal imbalance and genetic factors are the only two known causes of fibroid growth.

Diagnosing fibroids

In case fibroid symptoms are apparent it would be fairly simple to diagnose uterine tumors. However in the absence of symptoms, normally women do not have any clue about fibroids. Some lucky ones become aware of it during the course of routine pelvic examination.

Normally when you suffer from fibroids you will experience heavy vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, lower back pain or pain during sexual intercourse. However these symptoms can be due to other conditions also. Hence further testing may be required to confirm the existence of uterine tumors. Doctors normally prescribe one or more of the following tests to diagnose fibroids.

Blood Test

Diagnosing fibroids normally begins with a blood test which is done to determine whether you are anemic or not. Anemia or deficiency of iron in the body happens due to heavy vaginal bleeding caused by fibroids. Blood tests will also indicate whether the levels of reproductive hormones produced by the ovaries are normal or not.

Uterine Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a very safe way to assess the uterus, ovaries and identify uterine fibroids. The entire procedure normally takes about 30 to 60 minutes of time and is done without anesthesia. Normally doctors perform either a trans-abdominal ultrasound or trans-vaginal ultrasound.

For trans-abdominal ultrasound, you may be required to consume several glasses of water to ensure that your bladder is full. This will basically ensure that the quality of images is good. For close up pictures of the uterus, endometrium and ovaries, trans-vaginal ultrasound is performed. For this test you will need to empty your bladder.

Hysterosonography

Also referred to as sono-hysterography, this procedure is similar to ultra-sonography, but it provides a far better visual of the uterus and endometrium. This method is especially useful to identify Submucosal fibroids. This procedure can be performed in your doctor's clinic in about 30 minutes.

Hysteroscopy

This is a 30-minute procedure which is the most suited for detecting Submucosal fibroids. It can be performed in the doctor's clinic under local anesthesia.

In addition to the above tests sometimes Endometrial biopsy or Hysterosalpingography may also be prescribed to diagnose fibroids. This is because some other conditions like uterine polyps, hormonal dysfunction or adenomyosis can also cause symptoms similar to those of fibroids. These tests are done not only to identify fibroids but also to detect any other condition that you may be suffering from.

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