Uterine tumors are lumps that occur when the muscle cells of the uterus grow abnormally. This type of tumor is generally not malignant. However, its existence often worries pregnant women and women who are planning a pregnancy.
Uterine tumors or also called fibroids are generally found on the inside or outside of the uterine wall. A woman can have one or more tumors in her uterus. They also vary in size, from as small as an orange seed and can grow to the size of a tennis ball.
The cause of the appearance of uterine tumors is not known for certain, but there are several factors that can increase a woman's risk of suffering from this tumor, ranging from increased production of the hormone estrogen, increasing age, obesity, to heredity.
Types of Benign Uterine Tumors
Based on the location of growth, uterine tumors can be categorized into four types, namely:
- Myometrial fibroids (intramural), which are uterine tumors that develop in the lining of the uterine muscle wall
- Submucosal fibroids, which are uterine tumors that grow just below the uterine lining into the uterine cavity
- Subserosal fibroids, which are uterine tumors that grow on the outer wall of the uterus and can enlarge toward the pelvic cavity
- Stem fibroids (pedunculated fibroids), which is a uterine tumor whose base is shaped like a stalk and can hang into or out of the uterus
Uterine tumors generally do not cause symptoms. Therefore, some women sometimes do not realize that they are suffering from this condition.
However, if symptoms appear, patients with uterine tumors can experience several things, ranging from bleeding and menstrual duration that is heavy or longer than the base, lower abdominal pain, frequent urination, difficulty defecating, and pain during sexual intercourse.
The Effect of Benign Uterine Tumors in Pregnancy
Uterine tumors are generally not an obstacle for a woman to get pregnant. Pre-pregnancy surgery to remove uterine tumors is also not always necessary, unless the uterine tumor is causing severe symptoms, such as severe pain during menstruation and heavy menstrual blood volume.
However, this depends on the type of uterine tumor that appears. The type of tumor that is thought to affect pregnancy is submucosal fibroid, because these tumors can cause reduced blood flow in the tumor-free part of the uterine wall.
Lack of blood flow to the uterine wall can change the shape of the uterus and cause interference with the process of implanting or implanting an embryo in the uterine wall.
In pregnant women, most uterine tumors also do not cause symptoms or interfere with pregnancy so they do not require special treatment. However, under certain conditions, uterine tumors can cause problems during pregnancy.
The most common problems that can be experienced by pregnant women due to uterine tumors are premature babies, tumors blocking the birth canal, breech babies, and placental abruption. These problems can prevent pregnant women from giving birth normally, so caesarean section is the safest method of delivery.
Therefore, pregnant women need to have regular prenatal checkups to avoid health problems due to uterine tumors and detect various pregnancy complications as early as possible. Thus, the health of the mother and fetus is maintained.
If you experience some of the symptoms of a uterine tumor, such as frequent urination and painful and prolonged periods, or having difficulty conceiving due to a uterine tumor, immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.