What Causes an Enlarged Uterus?
You might not think much about your growing uterus unless you're pregnant, but even if you’re not pregnant, your uterus may become enlarged for several reasons. Let’s look at what those are.
Most Common Causes of Pelvic Pain
Pelvic pain can refer to any type of pain in your pelvis, which is located right below your abdomen. This type of pain can feel dull and ongoing or sharp and acute. Because there are so many organs, nerves, and structures in your pelvis, pelvic pain can be caused by a myriad of things.
However, oftentimes pelvic pain is specifically used to describe pain that originates from a woman’s reproductive system, since these problems can be so prevalent. Symptoms associated with pelvic pain in women can include vaginal bleeding and spotting, menstrual pain, or pain during sex.
Our team at Fresno Fibroid Center wants you to know what the most common causes of pelvic pain are so you can start to narrow down exactly what’s causing your pain — and then be able to seek proper treatment.
Common causes of pelvic pain
While health issues like endometriosis, ovarian cysts, urinary tract infections, and ectopic pregnancies have all been known to induce pelvic pain, two conditions that are often at the root of pelvic pain are uterine fibroids and adenomyosis.
Uterine fibroids
Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous, or benign, tumors that can grow on or in the muscle tissue inside your uterus. These fibroids are common and don’t always cause symptoms. However, if they start to grow, you may start to notice symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding, back pain, pelvic pressure, urinary incontinence, or pain during sex.
Adenomyosis
Adenomyosis is a condition where your endometrial tissue starts to grow into your uterine wall. This disease is not life-threatening but can cause a lot of discomfort with symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding, extreme menstrual cramps, or abdominal pain and pressure.
Both of these conditions can greatly reduce your quality of life. Fortunately, the team at Fresno Fibroid Center has over 15 years experience in treating uterine fibroids and adenomyosis and can cater a plan that’s best for you and your health needs.
Treatment options
There are a wide variety of treatment options, ranging from conservative to minimally invasive to surgical. The severity of your symptoms will ultimately determine which option is going to be the best for you.
If your symptoms are fairly mild, you can try taking over-the-counter pain medications or hormone therapy in order to manage any pain or severe menstrual bleeding and cramping.
A minimally invasive option is uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). During this procedure, a small incision is made in your femoral artery and a tube is placed through it in order to place particles to block blood flow to the fibroids. This should cause your fibroids or adenomyosis to shrink which, in turn, should minimize any symptoms you’re experiencing.
UFE is an option that will help most women avoid having to undergo a more invasive and higher risk surgery like hysterectomy. UFE is associated with quicker recovery and lower risk of complications compared to surgical treatments.
If you’ve been experiencing pelvic pain and any of the symptoms that come with it, don’t wait to have it checked out. Call our office located in Fresno, California at 559-436-4737 or request an appointment online today.
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