Understanding Uterine Fibroids & Pelvic Masses
Uterine fibroids (medically known as leiomyomas) are non-cancerous (benign) growths of muscular tissue that develop within or on the walls of the uterus. They are incredibly common, appearing in up to 70-80% of women at some point during their reproductive years. While many fibroids remain small and completely unnoticeable, others grow substantially or exist in multiples, causing severe pelvic pain, deep pressure, and heavy, life-disrupting menstrual cycles.
Other pelvic masses can include uterine polyps, adenomyosis (uterine lining growing into the muscle wall), or complex ovarian cysts. At Miami Women’s Center, we recognize that dealing with fibroids and pelvic masses can feel overwhelming. Our clinical team provides advanced imaging diagnostics, targeted monitoring, and a wide array of both medical and innovative, minimally invasive surgical management plans designed to safely relieve your symptoms while prioritizing your lifestyle and fertility goals.
Request an AppointmentFrequently Asked Questions About Uterine Fibroids
What are the main types of uterine fibroids?
Fibroids are classified based on exactly where they develop within the structure of the uterus, which directly dictates the kinds of symptoms you might experience:
- Submucosal Fibroids: Grow just beneath the inner lining of the uterine cavity. Even when tiny, these are the primary culprits behind abnormally heavy, prolonged menstrual bleeding and fertility challenges.
- Intramural Fibroids: Embed themselves deep within the thick muscular wall of the uterus. As they expand, they stretch the uterus and cause continuous pelvic pressure, backache, and heavy flows.
- Subserosal Fibroids: Develop on the outer surface of the uterus, projecting into the pelvic cavity. These typically cause structural “bulk symptoms,” such as abdominal bloating or pressure on your bladder and bowels.
What are the most common symptoms of a uterine mass or fibroid?
While many women have silent fibroids, symptomatic growths frequently cause:
- Excessively heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, often with large blood clots
- Anemia (iron deficiency) leading to chronic fatigue and weakness
- A persistent feeling of pelvic heaviness, bloating, or abdominal fullness
- Frequent urination or difficulty emptying your bladder if a mass presses forward
- Chronic constipation or lower back pain if a mass presses backward
- Pain or deep discomfort during sexual intercourse
Can uterine fibroids turn into cancer?
It is extraordinarily rare. Uterine fibroids are benign muscle tumors and are not precancerous. Having fibroids does not increase your statistical risk of developing a malignant uterine cancer (such as uterine leiomyosarcoma). While our clinical team monitors any rapidly growing pelvic masses with extreme care using advanced imaging to rule out rarer malignancies, you can find reassurance knowing that the vast majority of diagnosed uterine masses are entirely benign.
How are fibroids and pelvic masses diagnosed?
The frontline tool for detecting uterine masses is a high-resolution pelvic ultrasound (combining both transabdominal and transvaginal methods). This quick, painless scan maps out the size, quantity, and precise structural locations of any growths. If we require a more detailed view before planning a specialized treatment, your provider may order a pelvic MRI or perform a sonohysterogram—an advanced ultrasound technique where a small amount of sterile saline fluid is gently introduced into the uterine cavity to perfectly outline its interior.
Comprehensive Management & Treatment Options
At Miami Women’s Center, we move away from standard one-size-fits-all treatments, designing a care plan tailored entirely to your age, symptom severity, and whether you plan to have children in the future:
Conservative Management & Medical Therapies
- Active Surveillance (Watchful Waiting): For small, asymptomatic fibroids, we track their baseline size with routine annual pelvic ultrasounds to ensure they are not causing secondary clinical issues.
- Hormonal Regulators: Utilizing targeted oral contraceptives, progestin-releasing IUDs (like Mirena®), or specialized GnRH analogues to thin the uterine lining, manage abnormal bleeding, and temporarily suppress fibroid activity.
- Non-Hormonal Options: Prescribing specific medications to directly reduce heavy menstrual blood loss without altering your body’s natural hormone cycle.
Advanced Minimally Invasive Innovations
- The Acessa® Procedure (Laparoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation): Utilizing an advanced, ultra-precise handpiece to deliver targeted heat energy directly into the core of intramural or subserosal fibroids. This destroys the mass at a cellular level, causing it to shrink and soften over time while fully preserving your healthy uterine tissue and avoiding standard surgical cutting.
- Hysteroscopic Resection: Utilizing a slender camera inserted directly through the cervix to comfortably shave down and remove submucosal fibroids or polyps with zero external incisions and a rapid 24-hour recovery window.
- Robotic Myomectomy: Performing a highly precise, robotic-assisted outpatient surgery (via the da Vinci® Surgical System) to carefully excise multiple or large fibroids through micro-incisions, meticulously rebuilding the uterine wall to fully preserve future childbearing fertility.
- Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy: For women who have completed childbearing and face severe, recurrent masses, we provide state-of-the-art laparoscopic or vaginal hysterectomy options to safely remove the uterus with minimal post-operative discomfort.