### condition | illness | tumor | fibroma:

Fibroid
* ALL fibroids are estrogen dependent.
* Most fibroids are benign
  - noncancerous
* Most fibroids cause no symptoms and are discovered during routine pelvic exams
  - grow in the wall of the uterus
  - stay small and cause no problems at all
* Some fibroids become quite large and distort uterine anatomy significantly
  - can cause pelvic pressure and pain
  - grow inwards towards the womb and others grow outwards into the pelvic cavity
* appear to be very common in African-Caribbean women.
* are a benign tumor of the muscle of the uterus
  - common, benign form of uterine tumors found in about one fifth of all American women
  - fairly easy diagnosis to make, using ultrasound and a regular office pelvic exam
  - growth in the uterus, the normally fist-sized organ in which babies develop
* are benign growths in the muscle of the uterus
  - uterus which sometimes cause discomfort, pain and bleeding
  - that develop in the wall of the uterus
  - muscle tumors which occur in the uterine muscles
  - non-cancerous tumors that grow in the muscular wall of the uterus
  - swellings of the normal uterine muscle
* are benign tumors of smooth muscle, which is the type of muscle that makes up the uterus
  - the muscular wall of the uterus that stick out or into the uterus
* are benign tumors of the uterus and have nothing to do with cervical cancer
  - which frequently cause extensive bleeding
  - uterine smooth muscle
  - that originate in the muscular layer of the uterine wall
  - common benign tumors of the uterine muscle
  - common, non-cancerous growths arising from the muscular wall of the uterus
  - dependent on estrogen for their growth
* are extremely common and the number of women affected increases with age until menopause
  - fairly easy to diagnose
  - grayish white, firm, round, and ring-shaped
  - knot-like growths in the wall of the uterus
  - monoclonal, probably arising from a single smooth muscle cell
  - muscle tumors of the uterus that are very common in the general population
* are non-cancerous growths in, on, or within the walls of the uterus
  - that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus
  - tumours composed of muscle and fibrous tissue
* are noncancerous growths that start in the muscles of the uterine wall
  - tumors that grow on or in the uterus
  - one of the most common tumors to grow in the pelvises of women
* are quite common among women in their thirties and forties
  - harmless
  - never cancer
  - responsible for about one-third of all hysterectomies
  - rubbery, benign tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus and sometimes on the cervix
  - slow growing benign tumors, originating in the muscle tissues of the uterus
* are the most common condition found in the pelvis
  - gynecological tumor in women
  - pelvic tumor
  - reason that hysterectomy is performed
  - tumor of the female reproductive organs
  - tumors of the female genital tract
* are the most frequently diagnosed tumor of the female pelvis
  - seen tumors of the female reproductive system
  - number one reason for hysterectomy in the United States
  - tumors of the uterine wall
  - usually multiple
  - very common and in most cases, more than one is present
* begin to shrink immediately.
* can also be a cause of repeated miscarriages
  - block the fallopian tubes leading to infertility
  - cause irregular vaginal bleeding or heavy menstruation
  - grow beneath the uterine lining
  - run in families
* can be any size
  - as small as a pea or as large as a basketball and are almost always benign
  - difficult to treat because the way in which they occur is unpredictable
  - either much smaller or much larger
  - single or many
* can cause abnormal bleeding and pelvic pain
  - chronic pain and heavy bleeding
  - complications during pregnancy
  - severe pain, heavy bleeding and abdominal swelling, among other symptoms
  - significant pain and discomfort and are associated with reproductive problems
  - very heavy periods, leading to iron-deficiency anaemia
  - dramatically increase in size during pregnancy
  - form in the uterus and are common among women of certain age and race
* can grow on the inside, outside, or within the wall of the uterus
  - to a size where they compress the bladder, rectum or spine
  - within the muscular wall of the uterus, or in the outer or inner layers
  - interfere with fertility
  - make it difficult to become pregnant
* can occur in many locations throughout the uterus
  - singly or in multiples of varying sizes
  - persist after menopause, particularly if they are calcified
  - press on adjacent structures, often radiating to the back, legs, or bladder
  - range from pea sized to the size of a grapefruit
* can range from the size of a pea to a grapefruit, or bigger
  - a pea to the size of a grapefruit
* can range in size from pea-sized growths to large melon sized growths
  - very tiny to the size of a watermelon or larger
  - require emergency treatment if they cause sudden, sharp pelvic pain
  - sometimes be a cause of miscarriages and infertility
  - still be present, grow, and cause future trouble
* do have a genetic component.
* frequently shrink or disappear after menopause.
* generally occur in women of reproductive age
  - shrink after menopause
* grow in response to estrogen.
* have a rich vascular supply which helps support their growth
  - the potential to enlarge during pregnancy, as well as to regress after menopause
* however can cause problems due to their size, number and location.
* is fibroma
* located just under the uterine lining are notorious for producing excessive bleeding.
* occur more often in black women than in white women.
* often grow back after therapy is discontinued
  - return after drug therapy is discontinued
* range in size from very small to the size of a cantaloupe or larger.
* remain the number one reason for hysterectomies in the United States.
* run in families, but the cause is unknown.
* shrink as more time after menopause passes.
* sometimes cause excessive bleeding from the uterus when located inside the uterus
* start in the muscle tissues of the uterus.
* tend to swell up during pregnancy when estrogen levels soar and shrink after menopause.
* typically grow larger as a woman ages, and usually decreases in size after menopause
  - improve after menopause when the level of estrogen decreases dramatically
* usually decrease in size after pregnancy
  - grow back within several months once a woman stops taking the medication
  - return to original size after cessation of therapy
  - shrink after menopause because the levels of estrogen in the body decrease
* vary greatly in size and can remain for years with little change.