Uterine Fibroid Causes

Although uterine fibroids are described as harmless, they can be painful and problematic enough to cause serious problems and upset in those who suffer from them. In many cases, patients want to know uterine fibroid causes, and yet modern medicine has yet to find solid answers. In fact, doctors will admit that they really don’t know why uterine fibroids form. They have some theories and ideas about them, however.

The Commonly Believed Uterine Fibroid Causes

Though clinical evidence has yet to be provided demonstrating precisely why women develop painful and uncomfortable fibroids, the following theories are held about uterine fibroid causes:

• Hormones – The two hormones most common in the uterus are estrogen and progesterone. They are the forces behind the menstrual cycle and the ongoing changes in a woman’s uterine lining each month. However, “fibroids contain more estrogen and progesterone receptors than normal uterine muscle cells,” and this makes scientists believe that the hormones are part of the cause behind the development of fibroids.
• Genetics – This is seen as one of the uterine fibroid causes in two different ways. The first is that genes in fibroid cells show that they have changed from typical uterine muscle cells. Secondly, many experts posit that fibroids actually run in families and that the pattern may be an inherited one.
• Growth substances – Some experts also believe that substances that naturally occur in the body may also be uterine fibroid causes. This is because they feel that certain materials meant to help the body with tissue growth will also contribute to fibroid growth at the same time.

In addition to these theoretical uterine fibroid causes, doctors are also growing more and more aware of risk factors that some patients have that may predispose them to the development of fibroids. These include:

• Race – Women of African heritage are more likely to develop fibroids than women of other racial groups. Interestingly enough, women of African heritage also tend to develop fibroids earlier in their lives as well.
• Family – If someone in your family had problems with fibroids, your risks for them increase too.
• Random but common risk factors – Women who began to have menstrual cycles early in life are more likely to develop fibroids. Those who eat a diet low in fruits and vegetables and high in red meat tend to develop them more often. Women who drink heavily also tend to develop fibroids more often than women who do not.

However, it should be noted that there are not behaviors or recommendations from the medical field for avoiding or reducing the risks of developing fibroids, simply because women who meet all of the risk factors may never develop them while women meeting none of the risk factors may suffer with them.

When a woman does have symptoms of fibroids, it is of the utmost importance to get them diagnosed properly. Recent developments in the medical field have shown that it is dangerous for medical professionals and patients to allow a simple diagnosis of fibroids to stand. This is because some of the remedies for them have led to dire consequences. A recent case of a young woman undergoing standard surgical removal of fibroids actually had a dangerous form of uterine cancer. The treatment led to the woman’s cancer spreading throughout her body.

If you are told you have fibroids, be sure that you understand the causes and that your diagnosis is as accurate as possible. And if you feel your treatment has been in error, or is flawed in some way, do not hesitate to contact an attorney for help in the matter.

Source

MayoClinc.org. Uterine fibroids causes. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-fibroids/basics/causes/con-20037901