What are fibroids?
"Fibroids (also called myomas) are non-cancerous growths in or on the muscular wall of the womb (the myometrium). They can vary in number and size, according to the individual. Doctors will refer to the size of a fibroid in terms of a developing baby that size – in other words, 12 weeks. Some fibroids can be as small as a pea, but others can be as large as a seven- or eight-month-old foetus.

"Fibroids are given different names depending on where and how they grow:

• Submucosal fibroids grow on the inside of the womb and extend into the uterine cavity
• Intramural fibroids grow within the uterine wall (the wall of the womb)
• Subserol fibroids grow on the outside of the womb, on the lining between the uterus and the pelvic cavity
• Penduculated fibroids can be attached either to the inside or outside wall of the womb, and they are characterised by a stalk

"Fibroids are very common and can affect 20 percent of women over the age of 30. They are not common in women under the age of 20, except...