What every woman should know about fibroids

A Gynaecologist at the Medifem Specialist and Fertility Centre, Dr Ernest Saka, has said fibroids are abnormal growths in the womb muscles that can pose various health risks or challenges to women.

He said the condition is prevalent mostly in the black population due to some factors including heredity.

According to him, fibroids are benign growths that are not cancerous but can become cancerous on very rare occasions.

Speaking to GhanaWeb's Stella Dziedzorm Sogli on the latest edition of Health Focus, Dr Saka explained that "all cells in the human body have a lifespan. So they die off, and the new ones replace them and as they grow, once they touch the ones on the sides, somehow they know that they shouldn't grow anymore.

"But like the way cancer cells behave, they lose that ability to stop growing; so, the normal uterine muscles. When the cells die and are being replaced instead of stopping their growth, they just continue to grow, and then they form the fibroids," he noted.

Dr Saka said fibroids can cause obstructions to the bladder, leading to frequent urination and pain during urination.

"The bladder's function is to store urine. Urine is being formed continuously from the kidneys, and the bladder stores it until it's convenient. So you go to the washroom, open the tap, and the urine comes out. So the bladder behaves like a balloon. It opens up to store the urine up to a certain limit.

"You feel like you want to pee, you go to pass it out, and it collapses. Now, when you have these fibroids which are hard in front there, they actually sit on the bladder, preventing it from expanding. So any small urine that is formed, you feel like going. So there is that tendency of you going to the washroom ever so often," the gynaecologist said.

Watch the latest episode of Health Focus on Fibroids below:



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