Hello everyone! My scientific name is uterine fibroids. It is a common disease in gynecology. I am involved in about 1/3 or more of a woman’s life. Do you know about me? Do you know why I grow? What effect will I have on your body? What conditions require treatment? What treatments are available? Let me tell you more about it. First of all, the cause of the fibroids that cause them is still not very clear. But at least it is known that I am an estrogen-dependent tumor. As you know, women owe their youth, beauty and good looks to estrogen. However, it is also a major factor in stimulating my growth. It is even sometimes the culprit of endometrial cancer. Estrogen plays a big role in my growth. In most young, fertile-aged or ovarian-functioning women who produce more estrogen, I grow faster and even sometimes still recur even after surgery. After menopause, due to the decline of ovarian function, estrogen secretion decreases and I shrink and become smaller accordingly. Of course there are other factors that cause me to develop. Secondly, do you know where I grow? Someone said, of course, it is on the uterus. I, rather naughty, sometimes like to grow on the surface of the uterus, that is, to the inside of the abdominal cavity, because of the large space, many people do not feel anything, only I grow very large, affecting the neighbors bladder or rectum, will squeeze them to appear changes in urine and stool, such as frequent urination, urinary difficulties, or constipation, difficulty in defecation, etc.. There are also times when I grow inside the uterus, that is, under the mucous membrane of the uterus. Usually menstruation is caused by the regular shedding of the endometrium, and if there is a tumor inside, of course, menstrual disorders, or excessive menstruation, prolonged periods, or even severe anemia can occur. Sometimes even if the submucosal fibroid is not large, 2-3 cm or even 1 cm, it can cause menstrual changes and affect people’s daily life. Other times, I grow between the muscle walls of the uterus, which is like being inside a pinched wall. Usually, as the uterus contracts, I get squeezed into weak areas, either to the inside of the uterus or to the surface of the uterus. If I grow in the corner of the uterus, or under the mucosa, it will interfere with the passage of the fertilized egg, the normal implantation of the blastocyst (medically called implantation), and naturally, with conception, which can lead to infertility. What should I do if I find fibroids? There are several methods to choose from: 1. Surgery: including myomectomy, hysterectomy. The traditional method, is hysterectomy. Nowadays, with the development of society, people value their organs more, and many people have the desire to keep their uterus, because most fibroids are benign tumors, which do not require hysterectomy. So, who needs surgery? (1) fibroids produce symptoms, such as excessive menstruation, secondary anemia, or symptoms of pressure, (2) fibroids are too large, exceeding the size of 12 weeks of pregnancy; that is, when holding urine, one can feel the mass in the abdomen. (3) The myoma is suspected to be malignant, and surgery should also be considered in order to exclude malignant changes. Fourthly, for women with fertility requirements, there are differences in the treatment at present. Some people think that surgery should be performed over 4 cm, while others think that surgery should be performed over 6~7 cm, and the key depends on the site of growth. In addition, the scarring of the uterus after myoma surgery makes it unsuitable for pregnancy soon, otherwise, there is a risk of uterine rupture. It should be emphasized here that not everyone is suitable for uterine debulking surgery. For patients with uterine fibroids who require preservation of the uterus, precancerous lesions of the cervix and uterus must be excluded. For those who have a difficult life, poor mountainous areas, inconvenient access to medical care and cannot do regular annual checkups; they are also not suitable for uterine preservation debulking. Furthermore, any surgery can lead to pelvic adhesions, which can seriously lead to intestinal adhesions and intestinal obstruction. The second operation will also increase the difficulty of the operation. 2.Is it better to have open surgery or minimally invasive surgery: At present, they all tend to prefer minimally invasive surgery, which is minimally invasive? Laparoscopic, hysteroscopic and transvaginal surgery are all minimally invasive. Just as a spoon is good for soup and chopsticks are good for noodles, which one is convenient and beneficial to the patient which is the best choice. There are also some new methods to preserve the uterus: such as interventional treatment, arterial embolization. It involves inserting an arterial catheter into the patient’s uterine artery to go up and block the blood supplying artery with an embolic agent, and the fibroids get shrunk after the lack of blood nutrient supply. There is another method, which is focused ultrasound treatment for uterine fibroids. The ultrasound energy is concentrated on the fibroids, and the local temperature of the focus rises above 80℃, which can ablate the fibroids. Both of these methods can preserve the uterus. However, fibroids are inherently prone to recurrence, and the long-term efficacy needs further observation. Now do you know something about me? If you or someone around you has fibroids, can it help you? If you want to know more, it is time to see a gynecologist.