Uterine Fibroids - The Asteroids of the Female Reproductive System

Uterine Fibroids - The Asteroids of the Female Reproductive System
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Introduction
The female reproductive system is one of the most complex systems within the human physiology. It is an intricate network of various other systems combining and working in synchrony to ensure there is a perfect balance. This is especially the case with the hormones, which dictate virtually all the processes of the system. Any variation in their concentrations will affect the system in one way or the other. On a larger scale however, there is always the threat of defects that can hinder the main purpose of the system; reproduction. Fibroids are among the biggest challenge. Its understanding causes and treatment constitutes a great way to handle it.
Fibroids
Fibroids or uterine fibroids usually constitute a medical condition that involves the growth of harmless tumors along the inner side of the uterine wall. This condition is usually of note since it affects mostly women who are at the peak of their reproductive years. It is also termed as fibromas or uterine myomas. They are usually firm and smooth, while at the same time, compact muscular cells that to some extent merge with the fibrous connective tissue within the uterine lining. The good news about it is that these growths are usually non-cancerous. A woman is therefore not predisposed to uterine cancer just by the virtue of having fibroids. They can therefore be controlled and even removed from the uterus.
. The sizes of these growths vary from very small to massive, pumpkin-like sizes. When they grow to such huge sizes, there is a real possibility that they will appear like a pregnancy for these women. In fact, the huge fibroids usually make out a picture of a six to seven month old pregnancy. Fibroids have however proved to be quite a serious disease, afflicting quite a good percentage of women around the globe. On a global scale, approximately a third of women in their reproductive age are affected by fibroids. This is quite a huge number, considering that there is indeed a real chance that some of these affected women don’t even know how to go about it.
Types of Fibroids
There are various types of fibroids based on where they are formed. They include the intramural, subserosal, submucosal and cervical fibroids (Sampson, 2017). The intramural fibroids occur within the wall of the uterus. The subserosal fibroids usually grow to an extended length, onto the outer tissue of the uterus. The sub mucosal fibroids on the other hand, grow under the uterine wall lining. Finally, the cervical fibroids, just as the name suggests, originate from the cervix, or the uterine neck (Sampson, 2017). As it can be noted from the types of fibroids, the classification is purely based on their respective location or origin within the womb.
Causes and Risk Factors of Uterine Fibroids.
There are various risk factors for the development of fibroids. These include age, lifestyle, race, genetic factors, early menarche, and parity. A diet that is rich in red meat is one of the lifestyle factors that contribute to the disease, same to one that is rich in caffeine. There is no clear causal agent for uterine fibroids. What is clear however is that they come about especially when the levels of estrogen are high. This is perhaps the reason as to why women in their reproductive years are predisposed. A study done by a team of researchers led by Protic, Grechi and Lamanna also discovered that fibroids can be caused by a series of genetic alterations (Islam et.al, 2013). A genetic alteration is a change in the structure of a base gene. Any such changes, however slight they might be, have serious impacts on the physiology of an individual. These genetic alterations result in the formation of a mutant cell, which acts like a ‘conductor’ in an orchestra, and instructs the surrounding cells on what to do. This result in the formation of these non-cancerous growths within the uterus.
A figure clearly showing the risk factor for fibroids.
There is however some connection between fibroids and family history, as there is a high likelihood of an individual developing fibroids if her mother or grandmother had the same. The variations between estrogen and progesterone factor in when it comes to the menstrual cycle in a woman. The sloughing off of the uterine wall and its subsequent regeneration can sometimes play a role in the development of fibroids. The same can also be the case during pregnancy where there are varying levels of the two hormones. This implies that there is also a high chance of developing fibroids during pregnancy. The tumor that grows into fibroids usually result from an aberration of the uterine muscles.
The levels of estrogen within the body vary with the number of pregnancies that a woman has. Lifestyle aspects such as obesity and hypertension are also causes of fibroids, according to Kim and Sefton (2012). There is therefore a lesser likelihood of fibroids in women with two or more children than those with one or none. This however, isn’t to mean that one should bear more children. Hormonal variation within the body can also be caused by some traumatic experiences that one goes through, such as childhood abuse, loss of a loved one or even an accident that one was involved in. As a result, such women who have undergone some torture at some point in life, stand to be predisposed to uterine fibroids. Khan, Gupta and Shehmar (2014) note that excessive consumption of alcohol is also a contributing factor towards the growth of fibroids.
Who is at risk of suffering from uterine fibroids?
As earlier noted, this is a disease that affects the female reproductive system. As a result, it is primarily a ‘female problem’. The most productive years of a woman are then the most challenging as they are at the highest risk of having fibroids. Generally, the years spanning from 16 to 50 years are therefore at a greater risk of developing fibroids (Wise & Laughlin-Tommaso, 2016). Demographic characteristics also play a role in the arrangement. In the U.S., fibroids seem to be distinct in certain portions of the population. Those of African American descent and obese seem to have a greater likelihood of the disease than the other races. There is basically no clear scientific or medical explanation as to why this is the case.
Other issues that might result in hormonal variations include stressful events such as loss of first child, all the types of diabetes, loss of a loved one such as a spouse as well as multiple deliveries in the case of twins. It is quite clear that fibroids are a hormone-sensitive disease. Therefore, the earlier a woman starts her menstrual cycle in life, the higher the likelihood of her developing fibroids (Deligeoroglou & Creatsas, 2012). This is however one’s general physiology and can therefore not be changed in any way. On the other hand, hair relaxers contain phthalates, a group of chemicals that is considered by health specialists as hormonally disruptive. Therefore, use of hair relaxers and stressful lives in women cause uterine fibroids.
Signs and Symptoms of uterine fibroids
The extent of severity of the symptoms varies from one woman to another, with some even experiencing little to no symptoms at all. The lack of uniformity in the symptoms of uterine fibroids is based on the complex nature of the disease. Fibroids can grow outside the uterine wall, within the uterine wall, or inside the uterine cavity. In terms of size, fibroid tumors can be as small as a pea or larger than a grapefruit (Gupta et.al. 2014). Therefore, women can have many uterine fibroids of different sizes at different positio...