What Is a Uterine Leiomyoma?

A leiomyoma is a benign tumor that occurs in smooth muscles of the body. Since the uterus comprises this type of tissue, it is one of the most common sites for leiomyoma. When this occurs, it is referred to as uterine leiomyoma, and the tumor is sometimes called a fibroid. Alternate terms for uterine leiomyoma include fibroma, fibromyoma, fibroleiomyoma and leiofibromyoma.

The uterine leiomyoma can be described as a neoplasm, an abnormal tissue mass, comprising smooth muscle cells. It usually occurs in the myometrium, which serves as the uterine wall's middle layer. There are other locations for uterine fibroids, though. These include the submucosa, a tissue layer under the uterine lining's surface; the subserosa, which is beneath the outer uterine covering; and the peduncle, a stalk of tissue that can be found anywhere on the uterus.

Although the cause of uterine leiomyoma is unknown, some pregnant women are known to have their fibroids grow due to an increase of blood flow and the primary female sex hormone estrogen. In fact, up to one in five women are likely to develop benign uterine tumor during their period of childbearing. Additionally, uterine leiomyoma is the most common form of pelvic tumor. It typically affects women over the age of 30, and women younger than 20 rarely get uterine leiomyoma.

In many cases, women who have uterine leiomyoma do not exhibit any symptoms, which usually means that no treatment is necessary. When symptoms do show up, however, the patient experiences increased urination, some bleeding, longer and painful menstrual periods, abdominal bloating or fullness, pain during sexual intercourse and pelvic cramping. Such signs are an indication that the woman needs to get a pelvic examination as soon as possible.

Using ultrasound technology, doctors usually identify a lumpy or bloated uterus as afflicted with uterine fibroids. It is important to note, however, that these tumors are rather tiny, almost to the point of escaping detection, with increased diagnostic difficulty in obese patients. In some instances, leiomyomata have been mistaken for ovarian tumors, fallopian tube inflammation, or uterine adenomyosis, which concerns the uterine lining growing into the womb's muscle wall.

There are various forms of treatments for uterine leiomyoma that are applied according to age, level of health, size of the tumors, symptoms or intentions of having children. They include iron supplements or birth control pills for monitoring menstrual periods, hormonal therapy for shrinking the tumors, and myomectomy to remove the fibroids altogether. Prognosis for uterine leiomyoma is generally excellent.