Fibroid Symptoms After Menopause

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Fibroid Symptoms After Menopause

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Question:

Are excessively bleeding fibroid tumors likely to stop bleeding excessively after menopause?

Answer:

Fibroids are benign tumors that grow from the muscle layer of the uterine wall. They are quite common and usually do not cause symptoms. However, some women with fibroids experience abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain and pressure.

Women who have bleeding from fibroids often notice excess menstrual flow during their reproductive years. The excess menstrual bleeding is caused by stimulation of the tumor from estrogen. Estrogen levels fall with menopause and stimulation to the fibroid tumor decreases. So the fibroid bleeding typically also stops.

Fibroids tend to shrink after menopause, so patients who had been experiencing pain and pressure often get relief. If fibroids continue to grow or cause symptoms in a menopausal woman, she should contact her doctor to discuss treatment options.

Joan Bengtson, M.D., is assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproduction at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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Last updated:	July 20, 2009

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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