Leiomyomas are benign tumors of the muscular layer found in a woman’s uterus. Leiomyomas are commonly known as fibroids, but they can also be called fibromyomas, myomas, or fibromas. Fibroids are by far the most common solid pelvic tumor found in women who are in their reproductive years. About one quarter of all women will experience some symptoms caused by uterine fibroids, and the majority of them will have on average six to seven fibroid tumors in their uterus. Uterine fibroids are hormone dependent. So it is fair to conclude that fibroids will often subside after the cessation of menstruation. African American women are at a much higher risk for developing uterine fibroids than Caucasian women are there is no explanation for this. Overweight patients are also at a high risk of presenting with uterine fibroids, although smoking a little affects and may actually lower the incidence of developing uterine fibroids.

There is not one simple place within the uterus that fibroids are always located. Uterine fibroids can be found submucosally, intramurally, and subserosally. Suberosal fibroids are found beneath the uterine serosa. Subserosal uterine fibroids can exhibit several defining characteristics such as being pedunculated, which means that the fibroid would be attatched to the uterus by a stalk. Subserosal fibroids are some times refered to as being sessile which means that the fibroid tumor has a very wide base to supports it. This typr of uterine fibroids will have little or no symptoms, unless tmhey are pedunculated in which case they can twist and become extreamely painful, until the fibroid grows large enough to interrupt the function of other organs found nearby.

Intramural uterine fibroids will be visualized within the uterine wall. Intramural fibroids are often very painful and can cause excessive bleeding. subserosal and intramural uterine fibroids combime to form the majority of uterine fibroids found, very few are submucosal.