What does red degeneration of uterine fibroids mean?

Most women are usually terrified when they hear that they have uterine fibroids. In many people's impressions, tumors are generally serious diseases. The uterus is a very important organ for women. If a tumor appears in the uterus, it is often considered a serious disease. In fact, uterine fibroids are the most common gynecological disease. What does red degeneration of uterine fibroids mean?

What are the symptoms of red degeneration of uterine fibroids?

(1) Uterine bleeding

It is the most important symptom of uterine fibroids, occurring in more than half of the patients. Among them, cyclical bleeding is the most common, which can manifest as increased menstrual volume, prolonged menstrual period or shortened cycle. It may also present as irregular vaginal bleeding that is not related to the menstrual cycle. Uterine bleeding is more common with submucosal fibroids and intramural fibroids, while subserosal fibroids rarely cause uterine bleeding.

(2) Abdominal mass and compression symptoms

The fibroids grow gradually, and when they cause the uterus to enlarge beyond the size of a 3-month pregnant uterus or become a larger subserosal fibroid located at the fundus of the uterus, a mass can often be felt in the abdomen, which is more obvious in the early morning when the bladder is full. The mass was solid, movable, and non-tender. When the fibroids grow to a certain size, they can cause compression symptoms of surrounding organs. Fibroids on the anterior wall of the uterus close to the bladder can cause frequent urination and urgency; giant cervical fibroids compressing the bladder can cause difficulty in urination or even urinary retention; fibroids on the posterior wall of the uterus, especially those in the isthmus or posterior lip of the cervix, can compress the rectum, causing difficulty in defecation and discomfort after defecation; giant broad ligament fibroids can compress the ureter and even cause hydronephrosis.

(3) Pain

Generally speaking, uterine fibroids do not cause pain, but many patients may complain of a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen and pain in the waist and back. When the pedicle of subserosal fibroids is twisted or uterine fibroids undergo red degeneration, acute abdominal pain may occur. It is not uncommon for fibroids to be combined with endometriosis or adenomyosis, which may cause dysmenorrhea.

Causes of uterine fibroids

1. Increased estrogen secretion

With the onset of menopause, middle-aged women begin to enter the "estrogen control period". During this period, women are more likely to experience depression due to the dual pressures of family and work, which leads to increased estrogen secretion. In addition, long-term use of contraceptives containing high estrogen, hormonal drugs such as weight loss and whitening, and foods contaminated with high hormones. These are all important causes of uterine fibroids. This is also an important cause of uterine fibroids.

2. Sexual dysfunction

Long-term sexual dysfunction can easily lead to hormonal disorders, causing chronic pelvic congestion and inducing uterine fibroids.

3. Early menopause in women without children

A woman has a limited number of primordial follicles in her lifetime, and ovulation occurs only once every 30 years. During pregnancy and lactation, due to the action of hormones, the ovaries stop ovulating and do not resume until the 4th to 6th month of lactation. As a result, the ovaries delay ovulation by a certain number of times, and women with a history of childbearing will enter menopause later. However, childless women cannot get timely and effective protection from progesterone and are prone to hormone-dependent diseases, uterine fibroids being one of them.