What causes uterine fibroids?

How are uterine fibroids caused? The exact cause of uterine fibroids is not clear at this stage. Since uterine fibroids are more common in children of childbearing age, rare before puberty, and shrink or disappear after menopause, it is reminded that their occurrence may be related to female hormones. In addition, studies have found that genetic factors can also affect the incidence of uterine fibroids. The causes of uterine fibroids fall into three main categories:

I. General elements

1. Age: Uterine fibroids mostly occur in women of childbearing age, most commonly in women aged 30-50. It is rare for adolescent women to suffer from uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids shrink or disappear after menopause.

2. Obesity: Obesity can cause metabolic disorders, lead to lack of regular estrogen regulation, cause abnormal menstrual cycles, affect ovulation, and increase the risk of uterine fibroids.

3. History of pregnancy and miscarriage: Women without a history of pregnancy and childbirth are more likely to develop uterine fibroids than women with a history of pregnancy and childbirth, and the age of onset is earlier. This is mainly because menstruation increases the estrogen level in women's bodies.

4. Smoking and drinking: Smoking and drinking are very likely to cause uterine fibroids. Studies have shown that women who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day are six times more likely to develop uterine fibroids than non-smoking women.

2. Female hormones

1. Low estrogen: Microbial chemical testing confirmed that the conversion of estradiol to estrone in uterine fibroids was significantly lower than that in normal muscle tissue, and the concentration of estrogen receptors in uterine fibroids was significantly higher than that in nearby muscle tissue. Therefore, it is believed that the high sensitivity of uterine fibroid tissue to estrogen is one of the key factors in the formation of uterine fibroids.

2. Low estrogen. Estrogen has the effect of promoting mitosis of uterine fibroids and stimulating the growth of uterine fibroids. If a woman's body estrogen level is low, it is very likely to cause uterine fibroids.

3. Genetic factors

Cell biology shows that 25%-50% of uterine fibroids have cell biology abnormalities, such as exchange of sex chromosome segments, rearrangement of sex chromosome extension arms, or partial absence. Uterine fibroids are formed by the reproduction of monoclonal smooth muscle cells, while multiple uterine fibroids are produced by different replicating somatic cells.