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
