why would a 21 year old have fibroids?
I just turned 21 in April, I don’t have any kids nor have I ever been pregnant. I have had horrible periods since I was 15 both heavy and painful. I also have spotting and cramping in between periods. I have complained to many dr’s about this problem and they all just pushed me aside. I’m guessing just because I’m so young. However, the new obgyn I went to did a sonohist? and he found a fibroid that measured 2.88 cm and just today I had an mri with and without contrast and am awaiting the results of that to see if theres more and exactly how big this fibroid is? All the research i’ve done says that women my age shouldn’t have these and if we do we wouldn’t have any symptoms and I was just wondering why would I have one? And if anyone else has had this at a young age and what they did to treat them?
Filed under: Fibroids Symptoms
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
You know, most of the time they actually find fibroids quite by accident in the majority of cases. Depending on which studies you read, you will find rates quoted between 50 and 75% of all women having fibroids at some point in life. They are also most common in women of child-bearing age, and that’s you. Most women with them don’t have symptoms at all, regardless of their age. A lot depends on where the fibroid is located, and if it is the sort with a stem or not. It may also not be the complete explanation for your monthly pain either. That may just be the result of strong uterine contractions, and the fibroid is just a "by the way" kind of finding. There’s also no way of knowing if this has been there for long or not. There is still way too much they don’t know about fibroids. Your research will have told you they tend to run in families. But without checking every female relative you have, there’s no way to always know if they run in yours. Family history also doesn’t quite explain it either. I know. My mother had them to the point she eventually had a hysterectomy. My sister had them in her 20’s, or at least that’s when they were detected. It just so happened, she was pregnant with her first baby at the time. At the same time, so far as I’m aware, I don’t have them, nor have I ever had them. As far as treatment, yours is actually not that big. Your doctor will most likely suggest a wait and see approach, and he/she may suggest you try birth control pills to see if that won’t help with the spotting and cramping. It won’t have any effect on the fibroid at all. There are medications that would shrink it, but those can have some more serious repurcussions down the road. Finally there is surgery- should the symptoms get that bad. There is one sort, a myomectomy, which removes the fibroids but spares the uterus. It’s highly recommended for ladies who wish to have a family later on in life. A hysterectomy is the surgery of last resort, and from the sounds of it, you are definitely not a candidate for that. For right now, you need to just stay calm and work with the doctor to find the answers you need and to decided on a treatment (if it’s needed) that is right for you. It sounds awful, but it really isn’t that bad in most cases. It doesn’t turn into cancer, and it usually has no real effect on your day to day life. My mom had fibroids evidently most of her adult life, and still had four kids. My sister is much the same, and she had two. So for now, think positive and just wait to see what the future brings.