Uterine fibroids are not uncommon among women. However, the condition does not always cause any symptoms. Most women remain unaware that they have the condition until they go to their doctor for a routine gynecological examination.
Some women consult a doctor when they experience the following symptoms:
- Pelvic pain
- Prolonged, painful, or excessively heavy menstrual periods
- Bleeding or spotting
- Difficulty peeing
- Anemia
If you have any of these symptoms and go to your doctor for consultation, he is likely to do a pelvic exam. While pressing on your uterus, he may notice certain irregularities in your uterus. If he suspects that you have uterine fibroids, he may ask you to go through other more specialized tests to check for other signs that will support his initial findings.
Your doctor is likely to order an ultrasound scan. An ultrasound scan is an imaging test that makes use of a probe to create high-frequency sound waves to produce images of your uterus.
Your doctor will probably use one (or both) of two types of ultrasound scan to help him diagnose if you have uterine fibroids.
Transabdominal or Pelvic Ultrasound Scan
In this type of ultrasound, a technician uses a transducer or ultrasound probe on your abdomen or pelvis. He applies some gel on the transducer to prevent air from getting between your skin and the probe. He then runs the probe gently and smoothly in back and forth motions over your abdomen.
Transvaginal Ultrasound Scan
This type of ultrasound makes use of a transducer or ultrasound probe that is inserted into the vaginal canal.
The technician applies some gel on the probe and covers it with latex or plastic covering. He then inserts the probe (like a tampon) into your vagina.
The ultrasound scan makes use of the transducer to create high-frequency sound waves that move from the transducer to your body and bounce off your organs. The transducer collects these sound waves and feeds them into a computer that uses the waves to create images of your uterus. These images are then transmitted onto a monitor to show the movement and structure of the inside of your pelvis.
The ultrasound shows the endemetrium, ovaries, and the muscular walls of the uterus. If you have uterine fibroids, the ultrasound helps identify the palpable masses. It shows your doctor how big the growths are and where they are.
An ultrasound helps your doctor detect the uterine fibroids. However, it is not a fail-safe examination. It sometimes fails to show all existing fibroids.
Uterine fibroids come in different sizes. Some are really small and may not even be visible to the human eye.
Uterine fibroids can grow anywhere in the uterus. Some small fibroids can be located behind larger tumors and will sometimes go undetected by an ultrasound scan.
An ultrasound scan usually shows leiomyomas as solid, well-defined masses that have a whorled or circular appearance. The leiomyomas look darker than the surrounding tissue which often appears in light or bright shades of grey. Sometimes, they make the uterus look bigger than it really is. They may also cause some changes in the normal contour of the uterus.
Some doctors misdiagnose uterine fibroids as adenomyosis, endometrial polyps, or adnexa solid tumors. It is important that the doctor is able to make a differential diagnosis when he examines the leiomyomas as treatments for the different conditions vary.
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