Health Topic

Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are almost always non-cancerous. Symptoms may include heavy bleeding or frequent urination. Here's what you should know about fibroids.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Also called: Fibroids · Uterine leiomyomata

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are the most common noncancerous (benign) tumors in women of childbearing age. You may have uterine fibroids and not even know it since they often don't cause any symptoms. Fibroids are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus, or womb. They can vary in number and size and grow as one tumor or in clusters.

Many women with fibroids can get pregnant with no problems. However, some uterine fibroids could cause infertility (not being able to get pregnant), pregnancy loss, or problems with fetal development or delivery.

If you're a female and the age when you're usually able to get pregnant and give birth, you could develop fibroids. Some factors may increase your risk of having uterine fibroids. These can include:

  • Age. Women who are older have a higher risk.
  • Race/ethnicity. Black/African American women often have fibroids at a younger age. They're also more likely to have larger fibroids with worse symptoms.
  • Family history. If your mother or sister had uterine fibroids.
  • Other factors. If you started your period before age 10 or have never been pregnant.
  • Certain medical conditions. These include obesity or vitamin D deficiency.

Your risk of getting uterine fibroids lowers with each pregnancy and with long-term use of birth control pills or shots.

No one knows what causes uterine fibroids. A few things that might play a part in getting uterine fibroids include genetics and growth hormones. Also, other hormones like estrogen and progesterone seem to help fibroids grow. These hormones cause the tissue lining inside the uterus to thicken during each menstrual cycle to prepare for pregnancy.

Many women with fibroids have no symptoms. If you do, the type of symptoms may be due to location, size, and number of fibroids. Symptoms may include:

  • Heavy or painful periods or bleeding between periods
  • Feeling "full" in the lower abdomen (belly)
  • Urinating (peeing) often
  • Pain during sex
  • Lower back pain
  • Problems getting pregnant, multiple miscarriages, or early labor while pregnant

You may not know that you have uterine fibroids unless you have symptoms. Or your health care provider may find the fibroids during a pelvic exam, or with imaging tests.

Uterine fibroids might be very small, or in extreme cases, they may grow large enough to make it appear like a pregnancy.

If you have no symptoms, you may not even need treatment. If you have symptoms, the treatment for uterine fibroids depends on many factors. These can include:

  • Your symptoms.
  • Your age. Sometimes fibroids shrink during and after menopause due to a drop in hormone levels.
  • The location, type, and size of fibroids.
  • If you are pregnant or want to get pregnant in the future.

Treatment may include medicines that can slow or stop fibroid growth. Surgery, such as a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), may be considered if you are near or past menopause, your fibroids are very large or cause heavy bleeding.

If you are having trouble getting pregnant, your provider may discuss infertility treatments. They may also recommend an emotional support group if you have chronic symptoms or difficulties getting pregnant or maintaining a pregnancy.

It sits within Women and Female Reproductive System.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Uterine Fibroids

494 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

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Symptoms

Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

Related Issues

Genetics

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Uterine Neoplasms, Leiomyoma, Uterine Myomectomy. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Uterine Fibroids, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.