Treatment Options for Fibroids Causing Pain During Sex?

Uterine Fibroids: You may know that abnormal vaginal bleeding and irregular menstrual cycles are signs of hormonal imbalance in women. If the discomfort is overwhelming in such cases, it can be a sign of uterine fibroid.

Contents

What is a Uterine Fibroid?How Do Fibroids Affect Sex Life?How Are Fibroids Diagnosed?Ultrasound Sonography Abdominal Ultrasound Lab Tests MRI Hysterosonography Hysteroscopy How Are Fibroids Treated?Medication Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists Non-invasive Surgery Invasive Surgery Final Words

A non-cancerous tumor in the uterus can also cause unbearable pain during sex. A fibroid located near the cervix of the uterus can make many sexual positions uncomfortable for women.

Finding the best treatment options for fibroids to enjoy your sex life is a daunting task. Here are the best identification and treatment processes for painful fibroids.

Table of Contents

What is a Uterine Fibroid?

The Society of Interventional Radiology recently conducted the USA Fibroid Health Survey and reported that age, income level, health insurance, and healthcare proactivity affect fibroid health outcomes among 80 percent of women aged 50.

A non-malignant tumor growth near the uterus or the area surrounding the pelvic area is called uterine fibroid. These are commonly known as Leiomyomas or myoma.

Fibroids are made of benign muscles and connective tissues from the walls of the uterus. These can grow as a single node or in clusters. Small fibroids are asymptotic growths.

Large tumors that take up almost the entire uterus wall need immediate treatment or removal. This non-cancerous growth push against the urinary bladder and causes unbearable pain.

How Do Fibroids Affect Sex Life?

The uterus is a powerful organ that plays a vital role in pregnancy and reproduction in women. Depending on the location and size, non-malignant tumors in the uterus can interfere with your sex life.

Some common ways in which fibroids affect your sex life are:

Chronic pain after vaginal penetration.
Heavy bleeding during intercourse.
Irregular menstruation cycles.
Sudden bleeding between period cycles.
Abdominal enlargement can hamper your overall look.
Lower back pain post intercourse
Frequent urination.
A smelly vagina with abnormal discharge.

Women often experience tiredness after physical activities after they lose a lot of blood post sexual intercourse. It can make them weak with lower energy levels. Hormonal imbalance can cause obesity.

Obese women lose self-confidence and interest in sex life.

Fibroids Diagnosed

How Are Fibroids Diagnosed?

Stabbing pain during sex is a significant sign of an underlying uterine fibroid. Here are a few ways in which these non-malignant tumors are detected.

Ultrasound Sonography

An ultrasound machine employs sound waves to take a picture of the uterus. The doctor will move the transducer device over the transvaginal or transabdominal route to see the internal images.

The non-invasive method can identify and measure the size of fibroids in women.

Abdominal Ultrasound

An abdominal ultrasound is a noninvasive procedure used to assess the organs and structures within the abdomen. This includes the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, bile ducts, spleen, and abdominal aorta. Ultrasound technology allows quick visualization of the abdominal organs and structures from outside the body.

Lab Tests

If you have abnormal signs and symptoms that indicate a tumor in the uterus, doctors may advise you to get a blood test done. A complete blood count (CBC) can help to identify other hormonal-related problems like thyroid and anemia.

MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging tests can identify the exact size, location, and the exact type of fibroid causing pain during sex in women. Book a private MRI Scan for prompt diagnosis to the correct treatment, or can put your mind at rest.

Hysterosonography

This method is helpful for people with heavy menstrual bleeding. It uses saline infusion to expand the uterine cavity. Doctors can take better images of the submucosal fibroids along the lining of the uterus.

Hysteroscopy

The technician inserts a telescope called a hysteroscope through the cervix of the uterus. It helps to check the fallopian tubes and the parts of the uterus for the presence of fibroids.

How Are Fibroids Treated?

Treatment plans for fibroids depend on various factors that include:

Number of fibroid clusters
Size of the tumors
Location of the fibroids
Underlying symptoms
Age and hormones
Fertility goals

Medication

Smaller fibroids that cause manageable discomforts can be treated by over-the-counter medicines, iron supplements, oral contraceptives, or intrauterine devices.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists

These medicines are taken via an injection or a nasal spray. They stop the production of male hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

The medicine shrinks the fibroids and helps to regularize periods.

Non-invasive Surgery

Performed under an MRI scanner, this method is done for outpatients to preserve their uterus. The transducer sims hot sound waves into the fibroid and destroys the tissues.

Invasive Surgery

With uterine artery embolization, tiny particles called embolic agents are injected into the arteries. These particles stop the flow of blood to the fibroids.

It causes the tumors to shrink in size and die. An interventional radiologist conducts this surgery.

Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation uses radiofrequency to destroy the tumors in the uterus. It is among the safest and effective treatment methods for uterus tumors.