Rarely, a fibroid may be on a long stalk, and may actually be felt by the patient as a mass in the vagina. Increasing pressure on the bladder may result in a need for urinary frequency, as the ability of the bladder to fill is compromised by the large mass pressing on it. A woman who has been pregnant will experience this change in her urinary pattern, as the growing pregnant uterus similarly presses on the bladder. Pressure on the rectum will contribute to constipation, a sensation of not having completely emptied the bowel. Large fibroids may also contribute to low back pain.
Pain- Fibroids are usually silent, as previously mentioned.
If left untreated, the body will slowly absorb this non-viable tissue, but the patient could be very uncomfortable for possibly weeks. Usually a large degenerating fibroid uterus is treated by hysterectomy. If a fibroid, because of its location, impairs the physicians ability to differentiate a fibroid from an ovary, an erroneous diagnosis of a fibroid may be made, as opposed to an ovarian tumor. The determination and differentiation between a fibroid and an ovarian growth is therefore critical. If a given case requires operative intervention to settle the diagnosis, it is reasonable to perform some procedure so that future evaluation will not be confusing.