What Are Uterine Fibroids? Thinking Thursday: Infertility Causes

With so many causes of infertility, it can be difficult to understand what may be causing your infertility. So let's break it down one by one.

Uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are an interesting category when we're talking about causes of infertility. They don't always cause infertility, and the fascinating thing, at least I think of fibroids, is sometimes people misunderstand fibroids and confuse them with polyps, which we'll talk about in another video.

But today we're jumping into uterine fibroids. Understanding exactly what they are, how often do they cause infertility and really, do they always cause infertility? Hint: no, they don't. But we will get to that in just a minute. So let's dive in.

What are uterine fibroids? Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that occur in the uterus and are made of uterine muscle, also known as the myometrium or middle layer of the uterine tissue.

Tumors grow within this layer and can protrude into the inside of the uterus or through to the outside layer. The uterus has three layers of muscle tissue, the perimetrium, which is the outer layer, the myometrium, which is the middle layer, and the endometrium, which is the innermost layer. Fibroids, which grow in the myometrium otherwise known as the middle layer, can protrude into each other layer of uterine tissue. They can protrude inward, pushing into the endometrium, causing less space within the uterine cavity. It can also protrude outward on the outermost layer, the perimetrium.

Uterine fibroids affect an estimated 70 to 80% of people with uteruses at some point in their lifetime. 2 to 4% of those with fibroids experience infertility.

Uterine fibroids are very common among women in their thirties and forties. The cause of uterine fibroids is unknown. Treatment for uterine fibroids depends on the size and impact on life and/or reproductive struggles, but options include surgery, medication, or other interventions. Symptoms may include: heavy menstrual periods, longer or more frequent menstrual periods than expected, weight gain, and/or abdominal distension.

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