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Fibroids start in the muscle tissues of the uterus.
They can grow into the uterine cavity, into the thickness of the uterine wall, or on the surface of the uterus into the abdominal cavity. Although these tumors are often called fibroids, this term is misleading because they consist of muscle tissue not fibrous tissue. Women with many fibroids may have an inherited tendency toward developing them. But the woman with an isolated fibroid most likely has an isolated gene change as the cause. Often the doctor can feel an irregular uterus.