Receiving a uterine fibroid diagnosis can be a relief, or it can raise a number of different anxieties. If you had no symptoms prior to diagnosis, you may wonder what unsuspected problems you may now have to face, and whether fibroids will interfere with your ability to have children. If you had severe symptoms for years while dealing with misdiagnosis, you may wonder what your life might look like if you had back all the time you lost. No matter your perspective on a new diagnosis of uterine fibroids, you will likely have questions. At Erin Marshall Law, we work to support women who have questions not just about their health, but about their health care – the access, the processes, and in all too many cases the systemic failures that can leave patients anxious, uncertain, or unnecessarily injured. Contact our Albuquerque team today at 505-218-9949 to schedule your private consultation.
What Is a Uterine Fibroid?
A uterine fibroid is a type of tumor that can develop either on the surface (inner or outer) of the womb or within the tissue of the uterine wall. Fibroids are almost always benign, meaning non-cancerous – but it is important to note that a uterine fibroid diagnosis does not necessarily rule out the presence of other cancerous or precancerous tissue. These cancers, most notably uterine sarcomas, can be difficult to diagnose, and in some cases their symptoms can be disguised by co-occurrent symptoms associated with uterine fibroids.
Uterine Fibroid Symptoms
Unfortunately for many uterine fibroid patients, the symptoms of uterine fibroids can be difficult to distinguish from those associated with a number of other conditions. This situation is often referenced in medical discussions as “non-specific” symptoms. In medical contexts, calling a patient’s symptoms “non-specific” does not necessarily indicate that the symptoms themselves are vague, or that the patient has not communicated them clearly; instead, the term is more often applied to indicate that the symptoms do not provide much help in narrowing down, or “specifying,” a single diagnosis.
Non-Specific Factors and Uterine Fibroid Diagnosis
In the case of uterine fibroids, the potential for non-specific symptoms is further complicated by the fact that many women may develop fibroids with no symptoms at all, occurring in as many as 70-80% of women at some point during their lifetimes, according to a 2020 review in the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, available through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Precisely because symptoms can be associated with other conditions, however, it is difficult to determine how many women with fibroids experience symptoms from their leiomyomas that are attributed to other conditions vs. how many women’s symptoms come from other conditions even though they may have leiomyomas.
Common Symptoms of Uterine Fibroids
According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the most commonly reported symptoms of uterine fibroids include:
- Pain or sense of pressure in the pelvic area
- Painful periods (dysmenorrhea), with or without excessive bleeding
- Menstrual periods that come more frequently, or last last longer, than normal
- Difficulty emptying the bladder or a frequent need to urinate
- Constipation
- Increase in abdominal girth not associated with weight gain in other areas
- Stomach or lower back pain during sexual activity
The range and severity of symptoms in a particular case will depend to some extent on the size and location of the tumors. Small fibroids that do not put pressure on the body’s other internal organs may be less likely to cause symptoms throughout the month, but tumors located within the uterine wall may contribute to especially painful cramping during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Larger fibroids, especially if they grow on the outer wall of the uterus, can cause symptoms when they press against the body’s other internal organs, such as the bladder or intestines.
Difficulties With Differential Diagnosis of Uterine Fibroids
Given that one of the factors that can often complicate a uterine fibroid diagnosis is the similarity between some uterine fibroid symptoms and those associated with some other common conditions, it may be helpful for women who regularly experience one or more of these symptoms of uterine fibroids to become familiar with a few of the conditions with which symptoms of leiomyoma growth often overlap, potentially leading to misdiagnosis. Depending on the range and severity of symptoms, these may include:
- Endometriosis
- Ovarian cysts
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Uterine cancer
- Adenomyosis
The risks of misdiagnosis can vary widely, and may run in more than one direction. As Cedars-Sinai points out, misdiagnosing leiomyoma as another condition can delay effective treatment for symptoms caused by the fibroids, while at the same potentially exposing a patient to prolonged, unnecessary treatment for a condition they may not actually have. On the other hand, misdiagnosing a high-risk condition such as uterine cancer as benign fibroid tumors can lead to potentially deadly delays in appropriate medical intervention. If your treatment has been delayed due to delayed or inaccurate uterine fibroid diagnosis, you may wish to consider speaking with an attorney at Erin Marshall Law.
Uterine Fibroids Treatment
Sometimes uterine fibroids are asymptomatic, meaning they cause no symptoms. In these cases the fibroids may be discovered “by accident,” in the course of diagnostic or other procedures related to some other condition for which the patient is seeking treatment (for instance, an appendectomy or a tubal ligation). If the leiomyomas are not causing bothersome symptoms, then in most cases they can remain untreated. On the other hand, if a uterine fibroid diagnosis emerges in the context of ongoing symptoms consistent with discomfort related to fibroid growth or placement, then doctors and patients have a few options, including:
- Hormonal birth control, especially continuous, to control painful periods and excessive bleeding
- Hormone-based treatments developed specifically to slow leiomyoma growth, according to the American Medical Association (AMA)
- Myomectomy (surgery to remove tumors from the uterus)
- Hysterectomy (surgery to remove the uterus)
Because uterine cancer is one of the conditions with which fibroid symptoms can easily be confused, and because some of the methods used to carry out a hysterectomy to alleviate severe fibroid symptoms can pose excessive risks when sarcomas are also present, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that women and their healthcare providers considering hysterectomy for fibroids or other benign conditions apply specific cancer-screening criteria to evaluate the likelihood of hidden sarcomas prior to choosing a technique for surgery. The organization also recommends, in keeping with guidance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), considering potential modifications to surgical technique when a hysterectomy patient has an elevated risk of hidden cancer of the uterus.
Speak With a New Mexico Women’s Health Attorney
Receiving a uterine fibroid diagnosis can be something of a relief, especially for patients who have struggled for years with symptoms that were ineffectively treated due to misdiagnosis. On the other hand, a diagnosis of uterine fibroids can also raise a number of questions regarding treatment options and possible complications. Many women, especially those who have already suffered through the prolonged frustrations of misdiagnosis, may be unsure of how to navigate the healthcare system to find effective treatment for their new uterine fibroid diagnosis; some may also wonder what hope they have of making up for the misery they have gone through while their symptoms were dismissed, or while undergoing treatment for another condition based on diagnostic errors. Call Erin Marshall Law at 505-218-9949 today to set an appointment with a member of our experienced legal team to discuss your concerns.
