An estimated 11 million women in the United States have been diagnosed with uterine fibroids. These fibroids are noncancerous growths on the uterus, largely occurring in women of reproductive age.
While the bulk of fibroids are not life-threatening, have you thought about these fibroids rupturing? Yes, it is an extremely unlikely incidence, but fibroids can burst. And if you have imagined this to be very painful, your imaginations were not totally incorrect.
What causes fibroid rupturing? What is their prevalence? Are there specific symptoms from which you can tell a ruptured fibroid?
Let us answer these questions.
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READ: Time for Relief: Easing Pain from Uterine Fibroids
What happens when fibroid ruptures?
Simply put, when fibroids rupture, they break open. Fibroids derive their sustenance from estrogen, typically deposited in body fat. This explains why they are prevalent in women of childbearing age undergoing hormone therapy.
Compared to fibroids that grow within the uterine cavity, those outside or within the uterus (commonly on tiny stalks) have higher chances of rupturing.
Researchers have identified hikes in abdominal pressure as one of the factors triggering a fibroid rupture. When blood pressure within the veins significantly shoots up, a tumor breakage can occur.
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Aside from these pressure hikes, a twist in a uterine tumor that has a stalk can cause that fibroid to break. A fibroid could also burst when the pregnant woman sustains an injury that tears the tumor from the uterus.
Researchers have also identified cases where excessive growth of the fibroid causes it to rupture. This is especially when such developments cause the fibroid’s nourishment requirement to dwarf its existing blood supply.
READ: When Is It Time To Seek Treatment For My Fibroids?
Can you tell a ruptured fibroid and how dangerous are they?
Acute abdominal pains can be suggestive of a burst fibroid. Unexplained increases in leukocytes (white blood cells) count also show a ruptured fibroid. There have been reported scenarios where women with ruptured fibroids experience a low-grade fever.
Yes, burst fibroids can be dangerous, especially when they are
not promptly treated. Burst fibroids can lead to hemorrhages.
This can be lead to acute blood loss. Indeed, this can be fatal.
READ: Can you Get Pregnant With Fibroids?
Can you lower your risk of ruptured fibroids?
Ruptured fibroids are extremely rare. Within the last half-decade, barely ten cases have been identified. Such scarcity in occurrence has starved researchers of data on specifically reducing the risk of fibroid rupturing.
That said, promptly treating fibroid can reduce the chances of fibroid rupturing. It all starts with getting an examination. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and Ultrasound are the two most common scan procedures used for such diagnoses.
In an ultrasound scan, sounds waves are used as leverage in detecting fibroids. The pitch during this procedure exceeds what is audible to the human ears.
Particularly, the technician performing this scan stations an ultrasound probe in the vagina to detect the ovaries and uterus. There are instances where placing the probe externally on the woman’s abdomen would do.
An MRI is preferable to Ultrasound, given that the latter is less accurate and depends highly on the technical sophistication of the operator.
In an MRI procedure, radio waves and magnets are deployed for imaging. This allows the operator to more accurately tell where the fibroid is situated and being better informed on the number of tumors and their sizes.
An MRI is particularly beneficial because it can tell a fibroid from adenomyosis (a specific cluster of cells occurring within the uterine wall). Adenomyosis is easily incorrectly diagnosed as uterine fibroids as they both share identical symptoms.
Upon diagnosis, your doctor can determine the befitting treatment plan to follow. Your general health condition and the fibroid's number (and size) would typically determine what plan your doctor adopts.
This could be surgery (involving hysterectomy if severe), medications, and minimally invasive procedures like myolysis and forced ultrasound surgery (FUS).
Conclusively, women with burst fibroids (and generally fibroids) should get medical care immediately. Ruptured fibroids, which cause intra-abdominal bleeding, require a surgical procedure.
