Causes of Fibroids

Who Is Likely To Get Fibroids?

Fibroids can occur in any woman of reproductive age. African American women are three times as likely as Caucasian women to have fibroids. It is not known how common fibroids are in women of other races and ethnic backgrounds.

Who has the Risk of Contacting Fibroids?

Fibroids are more common in women in childbearing age. The researches for finding more risk factors that can determine the cause of fibroids are still on. Some risk factors that have been assertive on the following factors:

Obesity could be one of the reason for development of fibroids.
Over weight is also seen as one of the contributing factors .
African American women are more vulnerable to fibroid development.
Women have not been pregnant till late age might also develop fibroids.
Frican American women are more prone to fibroid development at young age.

Risk Factors for Fibroids

Uterine Fibroids though are not without risk, the main risk involve in having fibroids are excessive bleeding and spotting between periods. The growth of the tumor reduces the chance of pregnancy as well as damages the reproductive organs like ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes. Loss of blood and anaemia is well associated with fibroids. It may lead to other complications like piles and pelvic pressure. If fibroids are hereditary in nature it may cause problems in pregnancy and can develop at any age. Proper and regular checkups should be done to keep any change related to fibroids.

What Increases Your Risk for Developing Fibroids?

Studies that evaluate ;risk factors; are very hard to do, so we don't really know how important these factors are.

If you have a mother or sister with fibroids, you have an increased risk.
IAfrican-American women have a higher risk than Caucasian women.
Using birth control pills does not appear to increase risk, except very rarely.
Pregnancy and childbirth decrease the risk.
Smoking decreases the risk (but, not a reason to smoke!)
Hormone therapy after menopause usually does not make fibroids grow.

Why do women get them?

No one is certain what causes uterine fibroids, but changing oestrogen levels seem to play a part in their growth. When oestrogen levels are high, as a result of pregnancy or contraceptive pills, for example, the rate of fibroid growth increases.

About 20 per cent of women of childbearing age have uterine fibroids but they are not usually found in women under 30 years old. They rarely appear in young women before they begin menstruating.

As a woman approaches the menopause and her oestrogen levels decrease, uterine fibroids are likely to shrink or almost disappear. Apart from being a woman of reproductive age, no other risk factors for fibroids have been found