I am 48 years old. During the recent annual check up , the doctor told me that I have a fibroid about the size of a groundnut .He told me not to do anything about it as I have no symptom. What is fibroid? Can it turn cancerous?
A. To understand fibroid, you must know about the anatomy of the womb. It has mainly 2 layers ; the inner lining(endometrium) which breaks down and discharges every month as menstruation; and the muscle layer (myometrium) which contracts during labour and delivery of a child.
Fibroid is a solid growth in the muscle layer. It is fairly common and is present in 20 % of women of childbearing age.
The cause of fibroid is not well understood although it is known to grow quickly during pregnancy or when the woman is taking hormone tablets. It usually stops growing and starts to shrink during menopause.
Fibroid very rarely becomes cancerous. Since you do not have any symptom and you are near the menopausal age, it can be left alone.