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Fibroids are benign tumors of smooth muscle, which is the type of muscle that makes up the uterus.
They are also called leiomyomas or myomas. Fibroids may arise in different parts of the uterus, as shown in the figure. A submucosal fibroid lies just under the inner lining of the uterus, which is called the endometrium . Some of these fibroids grow on a stalk. A serosal or subserosal fibroid lies on the outer part of the uterus, just under the covering of the outside of the uterus, which is called the serosa.