fibroid and uterus size

Do fibroids change size during your cycle and if my doctor told me my uterus was three times the normal size is it that way my whole cycle as well and I wonder what that correlates to in months,as I see some people who refer to their uterus size in terms of how big it would be during a pregnancy, but my doctor didn't use these terms he just said three times as big as normal. These may seem to be stupid questions but sometimes I feel so bloated and other times not.I know water weight and all that but what actually get bloated is it tissue? ovaries?Uterus....what?

Hi!

I also had fibroids (as you can see from my signature, they apparently stopped counting ) and an enlarged uterus.

Fibroids can definitely change in size, but the changes don't normally happen each month. Rather, the fibroids grow and shrink over time, depending on hormones and other factors. For instance, my largest fibroid was about the size of a golf ball when my dd was born in 1988. When my ds was born in 2000, it had grown to be the size of a softball.... but when I had my hysterectomy, none of my fibroids were larger than 3.5 cm., which is closer to the golf ball size again.

I also had what they referred to as a "boggy" uterus, meaning it was not taught and had probably not contracted properly after my son's birth.

You can ask your doctor for more clarification on the size of your uterus. In my case, my doc said my uterus was 15x10x7 cm. -- but that was just a guess based on the ultrasound.

If you're not too squeamish, click on "my photos" on my profile and take a gander at a photo of my uterus taken after surgery. I recommend asking for a picture of yours, too -- the should be more than willing to accomodate you.

Hope this helps!

At last ultrasound in September, my doctor said my uterus was "boggy" and enlarged (he said that the year before). He said that it was the size of a 14 week pregnancy, so I've gone online and compared the size of a regular uterus, and the different weeks of pregnancy. It is too big to do a vaginal hysterectomy, so I'm going in in a couple weeks for a daVinci.
My uterus has been enlarged for a long time, but has grown in a years time. Wish it was done and out!! Try googling uterus pregnancy sizes. That might give you a better idea of how big yours is.

thanks,I'm going to call the office today get the actual size of my uterus.I only have three fibroids the biggest is 4.1 cm.I have heavy bleeding and pain.I feel like mine are so much smaller and not as many as some others on here,maybe I'm jumping the gun on this hysterectomy.....I have a period coming before my surgery and I keep thinking if it's normal I will cancel the surgery,I guess it's wishful thinking that it will all get better.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by shand thanks,I'm going to call the office today get the actual size of my uterus.I only have three fibroids the biggest is 4.1 cm.I have heavy bleeding and pain.I feel like mine are so much smaller and not as many as some others on here,maybe I'm jumping the gun on this hysterectomy.....I have a period coming before my surgery and I keep thinking if it's normal I will cancel the surgery,I guess it's wishful thinking that it will all get better.

I too had a uterus that they suspected was "3 times" the normal size. I had a davinci hysterectomy on Friday - it was only when they got in there that they found that it was even larger than they expected. He showed me how big it was with his hands and it looked like he was holding a small basketball or a head of lettuce. He did tell me that a normal uterus is 5X5X5.
I think that you can convince yourself that you have "normal" periods - I know I did. It wasn't until I was shopping for post-op supplies and I put a package of pads in my cart and read on the label, "JUMBO PACK -OVER 3 MONTH SUPPLY" that it hit me that I was not having normal periods. I would have used that whole pack in one of my "normal" cycles. We adjust very quickly to what is normal for us.
Being anxious and having second doubts is so common. I am so glad I did this though. The hardest part of all of this was waiting for the day of surgery. It's all smooth sailing after that. What type of surgery are you having and when are you scheduled?

I am having a LAVH on December 14.I could have actually done it the 30th of Nov. but I thought this will give me just one more period to see if it's better....isn't that crazy?My periods aren't irregular they just cause heavy bleeding which prevents be from going anywhere for a few days or more ,sometimes I walk around with my jeans undone when I'm at home because the pressure from my waist band(they're low cut) makes my abdomen hurt I guess from the fibroids.I also have a stretching/burning sensation which makes me think I have some scar tissue...Can anyone describe what the pain from their fibroids feels like?Sometimes I feel like my bathroom is a crime scene and I joke with my husband ....now remember if I ever come up missing and they find traces of blood in the bathroom you better remember to tell them I had fibroids or else they're going to think you did something to me....sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.

shand-
You are funny and boy can I relate. Our periods sound very similar! I wore black for the entire week every month, wore 2-3 pads at a time and slept on top of a beach towel so I wouldn't have to wash sheets! Crime scene indeed! I'm going to steal that one
As far as pain from fibroids, I do not know if they caused me any pain as I have had them slowly growing for 14 years. I can tell you from others' experiences that they have more energy and that no one regrets having their hysterectomy. I am barely 5 days post-op and I am so glad I did this. I was so glad I did this in the recovery room! I can't even imagine how the quality of my life is going to change - everything has been "planned" and or "cancelled" around my periods. It's a terribly crippling way to live.
It really helped me put things into perspective when I was prepping for surgery and I asked the nurse how many operations they did a day - she estimated 30 a day on her floor and 2x that amount on another floor. So, 90 surgeries a day x 7 days a week...do the math...it is nothing to be frightened of. And that is just one hospital! Everyone was so wonderful to us in the hosptial - I truly felt that I was surrounded by angels. I felt so protected and so at peace. Yes, I was nervous...but I was in a good place emtionally.
This whole experience has made me more courageous, caring, closer to God and so much closer to my husband and children. My husband and I have been together since I was 19 y/o (I am 42 now) and I did not think it was possible to grow closer. It has been a blessing in disguise on so many levels.
If I can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to reach out. You will be just fine! If I can do this, so can you!!!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by shand thanks,I'm going to call the office today get the actual size of my uterus.I only have three fibroids the biggest is 4.1 cm.I have heavy bleeding and pain.I feel like mine are so much smaller and not as many as some others on here,maybe I'm jumping the gun on this hysterectomy.....I have a period coming before my surgery and I keep thinking if it's normal I will cancel the surgery,I guess it's wishful thinking that it will all get better.

I had one that was 3 cm, one that was 4 cm, and one that was 5 cm...referred to affectionately as the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, or sometimes Groucho, Chico and Harpo, or (when I was feeling really annoyed) Duty, Honor and Country. I don't care if every other woman who had a hysterectomy had 20 fibroids (they don't) with a minimum diameter of 15 cm (they don't) -- my three were plenty enough for me. I bled heavily every month for years, but then in August when I was hiking, it became obvious that something down there was taking up more than its fair share of room. Something changed. The fibroids grew, and there was no longer room for them. The only size that matters is "too big". This isn't an amusement park or something ("your fibroids must be THIS big to ride this ride!"), it's a medical problem. Don't set some kind of arbitrary size that they have to grow to -- if you don't want 'em, evict 'em.

thanks that helps me a lot....Mine to seem to be about the same size as yours were...I think I'll name mine eenie,meenie,minie and I'm not going to wait around for moe to appear.I'm glad I decided to register for this site instead of lurking.....it has helped me so much hearing what overs have gone through....thanks

I had 3 known fibroids and an enlarged uterus going into surgery.. They removed 9 fibroids and also found endometriosis during the surgery, which I didn't know I had. I think she told me that it all grows over time. That would probably explain why my periods/pain were getting worse and worse over the years.

Don't worry. I feel wonderful and wished I had done it much earlier.