Fibroid Tumor and Difficulty Urinating

Fibroids are tumors (usually benign) that are attached to the wall of the uterus. Fibroids can often be so small and unnoticeable that a woman may be unaware that she has them. On the other hand, fibroids can grow to the size of a grapefruit and situate themselves in such a way that a woman is very aware of their presence. Fibroids can also interfere with urination.

Facts

• A fibroid or cluster of fibroids can make it difficult for a woman to pass urine even though she frequently feels the need to urinate. An intramural fibroid is one that develops in the middle of the uterine wall and can distend, or stretch, the uterus making it larger than it should be. An intramural fibroid can result in trouble urinating and/or frequent urination, according to intramuralfibroid.com.

Pressure and Blockage

• As fibroids grow and expand they can put pressure on the bladder. This makes the bladder less able to hold urine. The outflow of the urine can actually be blocked by the fibroid, according to womens-health.co.uk.

Features

• Your abdomen may stick out if you have a large fibroid. Some women even appear to be pregnant.

Effects

• Fibroids can lead to sleep deprivation if a woman is forced to get up several times in the night to urinate, or try to, according to uterine-fibroid-tumors.com.

Pain

• The Mayo Clinic points out that it is possible for a fibroid to cause terrible pain if it has outgrown its blood supply. When the fibroid is deprived of necessary nutrients, it dies, which results in offshoots of the fibroid oozing into the surrounding tissue. This can result in fever and pain, in addition to problems urinating and having bowel movements.