Women can develop fibroids in several places within their body: the breast, the uterus and the cervical area. Each of these places in the body present unique symptoms as a result and each of these types have separate medical terms assigned to them, but all can be treated. Because fibroids are a result of hormonal influences in a woman's body, they can appear and disappear sometimes without treatment as well.
Definition
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines fibroid as "a benign tumor...of fibrous and muscular tissue." Although that is a positive definition in the sense of physical health prognosis--since it means the tumor is not cancerous--it's still a little lacking. It doesn't state the three typical location sites of these tumors in a woman's body, as mentioned above.
Types
There are three fibroid types: breast, cervical and uterine. Breast fibroids are called by several different names (mammary displasia, fibrocystic breast disease, benign breast disease and diffuse cystic mastopathy); however, they all basically mean the same: benign (non-cancerous) changes in breast tissue.
Cervical fibroids are known by that name because they occur in such a limited space within the body. But uterine fibroids are actually assigned one of three names (intramural, subserosal and submucosal), based upon where they are located in the uterine area. And if any of the three fibroids are attached to the uterus by a stalk-shaped stem, the term pedunculated is added as a prefix to that uterine type name.
Breast Fibroids
Unusual lumps, growths, cysts or nodules of muscular or fibrous tissue that appear somewhere in the breast area and are not cancerous are known as breast fibroids. These fibroids are assumed to be the result of overproduction of two hormones--estrogen and progesterone-- which results in unusual cell multiplication.
Cervical Fibroids
These fibroids can grow quite large and are the most difficult to remove, sometimes prohibiting removal due to potential damage to the womb. These fibroids are located in the neck of the cervix, as they have nowhere else to go in the cervix.
Uterine Fibroids
Submucous uterine fibroids are located inside the womb, between the womb's inner lining and the muscle directly beneath it. Subserous fibroids are right outside the womb--attached to it--but growing outward from it. Due to this location, it's not uncommon for this type of fibroid to grow quite large because they have more body space in which to do so. The intramural uterine fibroid isn't located on the outside or inside of the womb. It grows between the wall of the womb and thus is limited in growth size. However, it's the most common type of uterine fibroid.
Size Variances
Fibroids can vary greatly in size (as big as a melon or as tiny as a pea), but the potential growth size depends partly upon the location of the fibroid within the body. For example, breast fibroids (pea or kiwi-size) will be smaller than those generally found in the uterus (lemon-, apple- or melon-sized).
Symptoms
Each type of fibroid has its own symptoms list. Breast fibroids usually cause swelling in the breast that can be painful. Uterine fibroids cause the most symptoms: heavier and more irregular menstrual cycles, possible anemia due to the heavy bleeding, abdominal and pelvic pain, pressure on the bladder or bowels (leading to constipation, incontinence or increased frequency in urination), pain in the lower back or legs (due to size or pressure on a vein or artery), difficulty with pregnancy and delivery, and varicose veins. Cervical fibroids can make intercourse painful and possibly cause bleeding.
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