The uterus can appear bigger than normal when subserous fibroids have grown on the outside of the organ.
They typically grow during menstruation, as this is when their blood supply to the uterus is greatest. The blood supplies the subserous fibroids with nutrients and oxygen, which causes them to accelerate their growth.
Subserous fibroids can grow bigger and it can grow to the size of a six month pregnancy and hence results in discomfort and bulkiness .
They can also cause pain in unrelated areas of the body, such as the lower back or the back of the legs, as they can stimulate sensory nerves attached to these areas of the body.
Symptoms of subserous fibroids include abdominal bloating, especially during menstruation, as well as looking pregnant due to the bulky fibroid.
These fibroids can cause more than discomfort, they can also inflict damage on the connecting tubes between the kidneys and the bladder, resulting in kidney problems. Also, they can place pressure on nearby organs such as the colon and bladder causing irregularity and difficulty in urination, or incontinence because of their close proximity.
Another disadvantage of very large fibroids is that they need a lot of blood to keep themselves alive. Sometimes the blood cannot reach the centre of the fibroids, and this causes parts of the fibroid to be starved of blood and oxygen and then tissue death, which can be extremely painful.
Subserous fibroids are sometimes mistaken as ovarian cysts when they are connected by a stalk to the outside of the uterus. The only test available to distinguish between an ovarian cyst and a fibroid is by using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging device (MRI), which helps radiologists to create detailed, layered pictures deep inside bodies. Ultrasounds only provide vague imaging and the newer MRI is much more accurate.
As suberous fibroids are in the outside of uterus they can be removed easily using laparoscopic myomectomy surgical methods compared to other type of fibroids. This method is a kind of keyhole surgery, where small incisions are made in abdomen to remvove the suberous fibroids.
A study was carried out at the Third Military Medical University in China, where doctors reviewed the effectiveness of myomectomies and Uterine Artery Embolization. Uterine Artery Embolization is when the blood supply to the fibroids is surgically blocked in order to shrink fibroids by depriving them of blood and nutrients.
The doctors treated 142 women with fibroids ranging from 2 cm to 12 cm with either myomectomy or Uterine Artery Embolization, and then followed up with each woman about 16 months later to see whether the fibroids came back. They found that the fibroids grew back in 5 of the women, which indicates that it is not completely foolproof.
There are some risks indulged in fast resulting surgical methods. laparascopic myomectomies cause damage to blood vessels or the intestines and also creates additional scar tissue and adhesions, which damages our digestion and fertility. Tissues die due to Uterine Artery Embolization, which causes serious infection in the uterus which can soon spread to all the other parts of our body. Dead tissues creates pain, and makes very unpleasant vaginal odor.