What is a calcified fibroid?

Uterine fibroids are one of the common benign gynecologic tumors, affecting many women mostly in their child-bearing age. At this time, the etiology is unclear but there are several theories that have been speculated including genetic predisposition and the affect of estrogen/progesterone levels.

Calcified fibroids develop when the fibroid tumor outgrows its own blood supple, resulting in a process of degeneration. As this degeneration occurs, the process initiates calcium deposition, leading to calcification. There is an increased likeliness of this calcification process to occur during menopause as fibroids tend to regress after the estrogen drop during menopause.

Symptoms of a calcified fibroid may vary with position and size, as with ordinary fibroids. However, there is a much reduced severity of pain since the calcified fibroid signifies that the fibroid is no longer growing. Pressure on the area of the calcified fibroid may lead to constant waist pain, usually made worse during menstruation. Because the calcified fibroid is formed during the end stage of the degenerative process, there is no real reason to “treat” the fibroid.