Fibroids after the age of 60?

Hi, my mum has just had her gallbladder removed and we thought after pain she'd had with that she'd be on the road to recovery. Now she's been suffering with needing to got to the toilet all the time, back ache, bad trapped wind and really swollen belly that she says feels like she's pregnant and feels as if she's been kicked!

She has just visited the doctor again after being told it was IBS and now they are saying it may be fibroids and she will probably need a hysterectomy. Have been trying to find some information out on all of this and am bit worried cause everything I read comes up saying fibroids shrink after menopause and you don't get them and just wondered if anyone else had had similar diagnosis late on in life cause everything I read points to more sinister causes which doesn't help when Im trying to find info out that makes her not worry so much.

Thanks for any help

She's had bloods done when she first had symptoms after a gallbladder attack and is in for an ultrasound next week.

If its not fibroids then should I be worried its something more sinister or are her symptoms something that could be treated by say a hysterectomy?

Fibroids are more common with women of child bearing age because oestrogen stimulates their growth. During menopause oestrogen of course decreases. What your mother may have is polyps. Is there actually any PV bleeding?

They will probably want to do a TV ultrasound and check her ovaries are not enlarged and depending on her symptoms a colonoscopy might be indicated.

Any post menopausal bleeding is cause for concern, they will want to run different tests, it's least likely to be fibroids at her age though- but certainly not imposable, the above poster is not really correct. For example, if she is overweight, oestrogen can be produced by fat cells, so overweight women have more circulating oestrogen in their bodies.

Edit
Yes Patricia is right. Nothing is always text book in medicine, good Drs know this. Although rare, fibroids are indeed possible post menopause. Your mother may not have something sinister at all, however all PMB (post menopausal bleeding) needs investigating and other more serious conditions ruled out. If her blood work does not indicate any disease activity then it's most likely to be a benign cause. You'd really need to wait for the results of whatever tests they are doing. It could even be something to do with her bladder/gallbladder etc.

Fibroids after menopause is a joke, that can never happen. As a medical student in Gynecology department, we always made that mistake, it was drilled on us like nails on wood that it can never happen. So you have to check on other things, at her age it could be anything from her breasts, ovaries, stomach...have u had an ultrasound done? breasts checked?
Go back to another doctor and have it fully checked now, i mean bloods, chest xray, abdominal ultrasound and x-ray, urine test etc. Too bad we cant help the other doctor, (s)he is too far lost.
Goodluck!

My Mum had fibroids at the age of 67. She had a hysterectomy and the doc checked her out for other stuff while she was there and she was quite healthy otherwise. But she found out about the fibroids cause she started bleeding like she was having a period! And went straight to the doctor to sent het to hospital etc. Mum is now nearly 81 and apart from a couple of things, is fit and healthy and has only just come off the minor dose of HRT she was on after her op. It could be the op for your Mums gallbladder triggered something in her womb that they didn't know was there. Bad luck for Mum but I'm sure the doctors will get it sorted, If Mum not happy with the treatment, ask to see another doctor.