What are the symptoms of uterine fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are a common disease in women and the most common benign tumor in the female reproductive system. Most patients are asymptomatic and are only occasionally discovered during physical examinations. Symptoms have little to do with the size and number of the fibroids, but are related to factors such as the location of the fibroids and whether they are degenerated.

Some patients may experience symptoms such as abnormal menstruation, lower abdominal mass, compression symptoms, increased leucorrhea, lower abdominal distension, backache, and some women may also experience infertility or secondary anemia. When the pedicle of a subserosal fibroid (based on the relationship between the fibroid and the uterine muscle wall, it can be divided into three categories: intramural fibroid, submucosal fibroid, and subserosal fibroid) is twisted, acute abdominal pain may occur; when the fibroid changes color, the patient will have severe abdominal pain and fever.

At the same time, the physical signs of patients with uterine fibroids mainly include the following: when the fibroid is larger than the size of a 3-month pregnant uterus, a substantial irregular mass can be palpated in the lower abdomen. Gynecological examination shows an enlarged uterus with irregular single or multiple nodules on the surface, or a single spherical mass connected to the uterus, which is hard in texture; or a dilated cervical opening with a red, substantial, smooth mass in the cervical canal, or prolapsed from the cervical opening in the vagina (submucosal fibroids), and necrosis, bleeding, and purulent secretions when accompanied by infection.

In short, when diagnosing uterine fibroids, a comprehensive analysis of the patient's symptoms, signs and related auxiliary examinations can be used to make a clear diagnosis.

TIPS-physical signs: refers to abnormal changes found by doctors when examining patients, which is different from "symptoms". "Symptoms" are the painful expressions described by patients to doctors (or others), while "physical signs" are the signs with diagnostic significance found by doctors when examining patients, such as vital signs, including body temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, etc.