

A: A fibroid is a lump or growth in the uterus. The uterus is made of a special kind of muscle. The muscle doesn't do much most of the time, but once a month, it ejects the bloody discharge that collects inside it. During pregnancy, it expands to accommodate the growing baby. And, of course, the uterus squeezes out the baby at the time of birth.


Fibroids can be as small as a pea or as large as a basketball (really). They are usually round and can grow anywhere inside or on the uterus.

Some women with fibroids do not have symptoms and may not realize they have them until a gynecologist feels them during a pelvic exam. Small fibroids that are not causing symptoms and don't interfere with fertility do not need to be treated.



-âIn a myomectomy, the fibroid is cut from the uterine wall. Myomectomy allows a woman to keep her entire uterus in case she wants to have children. In some cases, a traditional surgical approach is needed. The doctor makes an incision in the lower abdomen, sees the uterus directly and cuts out the fibroids.

Often a less invasive procedure, laparoscopic surgery, can be done. A flexible tube or scope is placed through those incisions. At the end of the scope is a light, a camera and surgical instruments that the doctor can manipulate. The doctor sees the uterus and fibroids on a video monitor.



-âHysterectomy involves the removal of the uterus. Once the uterus is removed, a woman can no longer bear children.
