Fibroid Ovarian Tumors: Symptoms, Causes & Prognosis

Fibroid ovarian tumors are usually benign, and the prognosis for women with these masses is usually good. However, diagnosing the tumor can be difficult until the mass grows and the patient starts to experience symptoms.

Fibroid Tumors

• Fibroid ovarian tumors are usually benign (noncancerous) solid tumors with fibrous tissue. They vary in size and shape, and grow slowly.

Cause of Fibroids

• No exact cause has been determined, but according to Uterine-fibroids.org, most fibroid tumors show up during a woman's reproductive years when estrogen appears.

Detecting Fibroids

• Because fibroid ovarian tumors grow slowly, they may be hard to detect. Many are found accidentally during a pelvic utrasound or laparotomy. With larger fibroids, patients can experience abdominal pain which can lead to the detection of a fibroid ovarian tumor.

Risk Factors

• According to an article published on Portalesmedicos.com by Dr. Peter Baffoe, most fibroid ovarian tumors occur in post-menopausal women. In his study, the average age of women diagnosed with fibroid ovarian tumors was 45.

Treatment

• If the fibroid ovarian tumors are small, no treatment may be necessary unless they begin to grow. For larger tumors, a hysterectomy may be performed if the patient is experiencing pain or heavy bleeding.