Uterine fibroid

A usually benign growth of smooth muscle and connective tissue in or around the uterus. Fibroids vary in size, number, and location, and may cause no symptoms or affect bleeding, pain, and fertility.

Uterus: The muscular organ in which a pregnancy can develop and whose lining sheds during menstruation. Fibroids arise in or around this organ, and their position shapes their effects.
Leiomyoma: A benign tumor of smooth muscle, especially one arising in the uterus. Uterine fibroids are uterine leiomyomas, formed by clonal growth of smooth-muscle cells.
Pelvic ultrasonography: Medical imaging that uses sound waves to examine pelvic organs. Ultrasound commonly identifies fibroids and estimates their size and location.
Iron-deficiency anemia: A condition in which insufficient iron limits the body's production of healthy red blood cells. Heavy menstrual bleeding from fibroids can gradually deplete iron stores.
Adenomyosis: A condition in which endometrial tissue grows within the muscular wall of the uterus. It can cause heavy bleeding and an enlarged uterus, but does not form a discrete smooth-muscle tumor.
Myometrium: The thick smooth-muscle layer forming most of the uterine wall. Fibroids commonly develop from smooth-muscle cells in this uterine layer.
Submucosal fibroid: A uterine fibroid that projects toward or into the uterine cavity beneath the endometrium. Its position near the cavity is particularly associated with heavy bleeding and impaired fertility.
Magnetic resonance imaging: An imaging method that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed internal images. MRI can map fibroid number and position when treatment planning needs greater detail.
Infertility: The inability to achieve pregnancy after a period of regular unprotected intercourse. Some fibroids, particularly those distorting the uterine cavity, can impair conception.
Endometrial polyp: A localized overgrowth of tissue from the uterine lining into the uterine cavity. Polyps can resemble cavity-distorting fibroids but arise from the endometrium.

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