Not Tonight, Dear

One of the seven most common symptoms of uterine fibroids is pain during intercourse. Yet, most women won’t mention this issue during a discussion of their fibroid condition. That’s not surprising. Pain during sex is hard to talk about. But when fibroids grow near the cervix, which is situated at the end of the vaginal canal, sexual intercourse becomes very, very painful.

Location, Location, Location

Fibroids are like the realtor’s credo: location, location, location. The area of fibroid growth determines in large measure how symptoms will be experienced, if at all. In addition to cervical fibroids, there are three other kinds of fibroids: submucosal fibroids that develop under the uterine lining and project toward the interior of the uterus, subserosal fibroids that grow on the exterior of the uterine wall, and intramural fibroids—the most common form of this condition—in which the fibroids grow within the surface of the interior wall of the uterus.

Some fibroids grow on stalks and hang from the outer wall or dangle into the uterine cavity. These fibroids are said to be pedunculated.

As for cervical fibroids, they can place pressure on the cervix or may even dangle through the cervix and into the vaginal tract, making sex a thing of the past. The pain is just unbearable and sex often causes bleeding. If you intend to live a life of celibacy, that may not be much of a problem, but for others, this is an untenable situation that must be addressed by treatment.

Rendered Infertile

Of course, sexual pleasure and your relationship to your lover are not the only possible sacrifices that are demanded by cervical fibroids: women still hoping to have children have no natural means by which they can become pregnant. On the other hand, most of the treatments for uterine fibroids render a woman infertile.

Women who are still hoping to have children may want to consider the myomectomy procedure. During this type of major surgery, the fibroids are removed, one at a time and the uterus is then reconstructed. This surgery is best for women who have only one or perhaps two sizable fibroids and who may still want to become pregnant.

However, it is important to note that often the surgery results in significant hemorrhaging and sometimes, a hysterectomy is the only way to stop the bleeding. In spite of these reservations, the myomectomy remains the therapy of choice for women with cervical fibroids who still hope to bear children.