What Are Uterine Fibroids?

For many women, the first mention of fibroids comes as a surprise — a line on a scan report, or something a doctor feels during a routine pelvic exam. It helps to know upfront what the word actually means. The video above, titled simply "Uterine Fibroids," runs about six and a half minutes and gives a calm, clear overview. Here's what to expect if fibroids have just entered your vocabulary.

What you're actually dealing with

Fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during the childbearing years. They're also called leiomyomas or myomas. As the video explains, they aren't associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer. Size varies enormously: some are like seedlings, undetectable by the human eye, while others grow into bulky masses that can distort and enlarge the uterus. You might have a single fibroid, or several at once — both patterns are common.

What you might notice — and what you might not

Here's the part that surprises people: most women who have fibroids don't know it, because they often cause no symptoms at all. That's why they're so frequently discovered incidentally, during a pelvic exam or an ultrasound done for another reason. When symptoms do show up, they tend to involve heavier or more uncomfortable periods, a feeling of pelvic pressure, or needing to pass urine more often as a growth presses nearby — the sort of changes worth mentioning at your next appointment rather than quietly putting up with. A related condition covered on this site, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), can also affect periods, but for entirely different reasons.

How the finding is usually confirmed

If a fibroid is suspected, the next step is usually imaging — most often a pelvic ultrasound, which can show the size, number, and position of growths in the uterus. Those details matter more than the word "fibroid" itself, because management depends on how big they are, where they sit, whether they're causing symptoms, and your own plans and preferences. Expect the conversation to start there, not with an immediate decision about procedures.

What tends to happen next

There's no single best approach — a point a second video on this site, "How Fibroids Are Treated," makes right at the start. Many fibroids are simply watched over time, especially when they cause no symptoms. When treatment is discussed, it's aimed at the symptoms that bother you, and options range from medicines through to procedures — the right conversation is an individual one with your doctor about symptom relief, weighing your situation rather than following a fixed ladder. If you'd like to see how the uterus itself is examined directly, our guide to hysteroscopy walks through that procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are uterine fibroids cancerous?
No. Fibroids are noncancerous growths, also called leiomyomas or myomas. As the anchor video explains, they aren't associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer.

Do fibroids always cause symptoms?
No. Most women with fibroids don't know they have them because they often cause no symptoms, and they're frequently found incidentally during a pelvic exam or ultrasound.

How are fibroids found?
Often by chance during a pelvic exam or an ultrasound. Imaging can then show the size, number, and position of the growths, which guides what happens next.

Do all fibroids need treatment?
No. There's no single best approach: many fibroids are simply watched, and treatment — when it's discussed — is aimed at relieving the symptoms that bother you, in conversation with your doctor.

MedicalVideos.com has published trusted medical videos since 2007. The site was founded by Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, MD, PhD — physician-scientist.

Educational only — this article is general information about uterine fibroids, not medical advice and not a diagnosis. Heavy or changing periods, pelvic pressure, or any new pelvic finding should be discussed and assessed in person.