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The Case Against FIBROID - Part 1 (What is Fibroid?)
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There are different types of Fibroid but I believe the most recognised culprit is Uterine Fibroid which is the one most women are concerned about, and I also believe that the author of the article "New Study Links Relaxers To Fibroids" was also referring to this particular kind of fibroid. So what are they and why is it common among black women (i.e. African-Americans, Caribbean and Africans)?


So what are Fibroids?


Uterine Fibroids (also known as leiomyomas of uterus, uterine myomatosis or myomas, Women’s Health, 2005) are hard lumps of benign (non-cancerous), tumours that affect between 30-40% of women. They are smooth muscle and fibrous tissue that form within the wall of the uterus, and do not spread into other parts of the body (NHS Direct, 2006). It is a disease that affects mainly women of certain age group and category.


They are the most common pelvic tumours that affect about 30% of women of reproductive (pre-menopausal) age and 40% of menopausal women, their occurrence increase with age until menopause. “It is uncommon for them to be detected in women under 30” (NHS Direct, 2006), however, statistics has shown that women in their early 20s can also be affected (HES, 2001 – 2004), although this number is very few.


They grow slowly from reproductive age (rarely before menarche) through to menopause, and usually require no treatment except if they become asymptomatic. Their growth is influenced by the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone, particularly estrogen because they seem to enlarge during childbearing years and usually regress or shrink after menopause when the production of estrogen decreases. As a woman age towards menopause the activities of these hormones slows down and finally becomes inactive causing the fibroid to shrink after menopause. Although the actual cause of the condition is still medically unknown, research has found that it is more common in Afro-Caribbean (or African American) women. Black women are three times (75% chance) more likely than other racial group to have fibroids (www.highbeam.com).


Most Fibroids are asymptomatic (meaning the hardly show symptoms) but about 20%-30% are symptomatic and can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and/or bleeding between menstrual period, pelvic discomfort and even pressure/compression to adjacent organs e.g. bladder which can cause frequent urination. Fibroid seem to be detected only during routine gynaecological examination. According to research, the disease seems to be more common among black women


The majority of fibroids arise in the body of the uterus and are described according to their anatomic location. There are four main classification of fibroid; these are:


Intramural - embedded within the muscular wall of the uterus
Subserosal - bulges on the outside but into the uterine wall
Submucosal - grows into the inner cavity of the uterus
Pedunculated - hangs from a stalk inside or outside of the uterus like a plant


Pregnancy or miscarriage may be the first occasion on which fibroids are usually detected as most fibroids do not cause problems and therefore not investigated. Although there are various methods for diagnosing fibroid, transabdominal, vaginal ultrasound or x-ray is usually the investigation of choice.


More on these and the Types and Location of Fibroid in the next article.


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