Submucous Fibroids

These fibroids occur just below the lining of the uterus and can cause menstrual problems, including pain as they grow and move around the pelvic area.

Intramural Fibroids

A round fibroid most often within the uterine wall which can cause enlargement of the uterus as they grow.

Subserous Fibroids

This fibroid grows on the outer wall of the uterus and usually causes no symptoms until it grows large enough to interfere with other organs.

Pedunculated Fibroids

These fibroids develop when a subserous fibroid grows a peduncle (stalk), as they grow larger they may become twisted and cause severe pain.

Interligamentous Fibroid

A fibroid which grows sideways between the ligaments which support the uterus in the abdominal region. This type of fibroid is especially difficult to remove without the possibility of interfering with the blood supply or other organs.

Parasitic Fibroid

The rarest form of fibroid tumor occurs when a fibroid attaches itself to another organ.

Diagnosis of Fibroid Tumors
Diagnosis of fibroids is generally made by your physician during your annual gynecological exam when your physician feels a mass, they often are found when your physician is looking for something else or may never be discovered if you do not experience symptoms. However larger fibroids may make examination of your ovaries impossible if they grow near your ovaries.

An ultrasound scan is often ordered when such masses are felt by your physician to determine the cause of the mass, however some fibroids appear on sonograms as ovarian tumors and surgery is the only way an accurate diagnosis can be made.

Although most fibroids cause no symptoms, the estimated 25 percent of women who do have symptoms may have abnormal bleeding, pain during menstruation, and as the fibroid tumors grow larger, women will often experience a swollen abdomen.