Fibroids are the most common tumors of women during their reproductive life and they are found in one out of every four women. They are symptomatic in 50% of the women who have them, with the peak incidence of symptoms occurring among women in their 30s and 40s. Fibroids can cause a variety of symptoms which include menstrual disturbances (commonly menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea), pressure symptoms such as increased urinary frequency, pelvic pain and constipation, they may also interfere with reproduction.
Although it is usually assumed that problems associated with fibroids resolve with the onset of the menopause, in reality fibroids can cause symptoms (including abnormal bleeding) even in the menopause. Although the exact etiology of fibroids is not well established, it is known that these tumors depend on sex hormones for their growth and several risk factors have been identified such…
