Do you know anything about fibroids? Symptoms?

Can anyone give me more information or experience with fibroids?

Fibroids are pale, firm masses that sometimes form in the wall of the uterus. They result from abnormal cell development. These tumors are almost always benign and can range in size from a tiny speck to large masses that can distort the uterus and nearby organs.

Uterine fibroids usually appear during the reproductive years and tend to grow slowly over time. There are three main types of fibroids: subserosal (which grow in the outer wall of the uterus), intramural (which develop in the muscular layers of the uterine wall) and submucosal (which protrude into the uterine cavity).

There are some pictures below, as well as more information on this topic:
http://obgyn.health.ivillage.com/uterine...

I had a few very large fibroids I had to have surgically removed about four months ago. My symtoms were backaches, very heavy bleeding with my period, infertility, and when I finally got pregnant I had a misscarriage and right before I had them removed I started having pain in my lower stomach. Also I don't know if this happens to everyone but my white blood cell count went up. My Dr. told me for a lot of women they will go away on their own. He gave me ultasounds for several months to see if they were going to go away but mine continued to grow. Then when my white cell count went up he said they would have to be removed. The Dr. warned me that when you have then removed that there is a chance of bleeding and if it couldn't be stopped I would have to have a hystorectomy. My surgery went very well it was done robotically with a couple small incisions. I stayed over nite at the hospital and fully recovered in about four weeks. I really only had pain for the first couple days. Now I don't have any back pain at all and before the surgery I was a bit fat and I have lost about thirty pounds. I am glad I had mine removed.
I used to always have a day or two of heavy bleeding during my period but I just let it go and figured it just came with the territory but in May 07 I continued to bleed heavily non stop. I was at work and it was very uncomfortable having to go to the bathrm every 5 minutes to change my pad and tampon. I went to the doctors and was was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. The doctor gave me these choices: I could have a hysterectemy or not and if I didn't then my stomach/abdomen would continue to grow bigger as the fibroids grew. I made the decision to have the surgery. I have lost 5 pounds (now I weigh 110) since having it and I do feel a lot better. I wasn't sure if it was the best thing for me to do at the time but after awhile I feel it was.
I use to have a fibroid that caused me to bleed half to death every month. Some women have fibroids and don't even know they have them. If they're not causing any problems, the doctors ususally don't do anything about them. But there are several ways to get rid of fibroids if they are causing a problem.

The first doctor I went to put me on birth control and claimed that would do the trick. It didn't and I finally got him to do a couple surgeries on me. Honestly I don't think he did anything because my problem got worse. It got to the point where he told me I would have to have a hysterectomy. Since I was only 24 years old, that was not an option to me. So I went for a second opinion. It was the BEST thing I ever did. He performed a myomectomy on me and reconstructed my uterus because the fibroid made it distorted. Before the surgery the doctor couldn't guarantee that I could get pregnant after the surgery, but after everything went well, he said he didn't see any reason I couldn't get pregnant. I still don't know if I can have children since I haven't tried, but I feel I will be blessed with them someday.

Each woman is different. Some women get fibroids and never know they have them. They don't cause any problems. But some women that get them have heavy bleeding, bad cramps, and sometimes teh fibroid gets so big it looks like she's pregnant. If you're having any problems, I urge you to go to your doctor because there are treatments out there.

If you have any other questions or want to know more about treatments, don't hestitate to ask.
I have uterine fibroids. I am scheduled to have a myomectomy the 28th. I had them before in 98. A lot of women have them. Some have problems some don't. There are a lot of sites that can give you pictures, info. etc. My symptoms are heavy heavy bleeding, blood clots, stomach soreness, and pain in the pelvic area. The 1st removal was done vaginally using a laser to cut away the fibroids. This time I will have to have an incision in the stomach/pelvis area. There are several other procedures out there depending on your condition. A hysterectomy is usually the last resort for many people. If you want kids let your doctor know so that he/she can see if they can avoid a hysterectomy.