Often on examination with her doctor, a woman can hear that her uterus is enlarged. This can cause some concern on the part of the patient, who begins to suffer and get lost in conjecture: why the uterus is enlarged, what this means and what it can threaten. Let's try to figure it out.
What does the term "enlarged uterus" mean?
The uterus is a smooth-muscular organ of the small pelvis, which has a pear-shaped form. At different periods of life, the size and shape of the uterus change. In women of nulliparous length of this organ is 7-8 cm, for those who passed through childbirth - 8-9.5, width - 4-5.5; and it weighs 30-100 g. If the gynecologist said that the uterus is enlarged, it means that its dimensions exceed the normalized values.
To find out that the uterus is enlarged it is possible only on examination with a doctor.
Why is the uterus enlarged and in what cases is it happening?
Magnification of the uterus can cause both normal physiological processes, and pathological. The uterus may increase in size in women before the onset of the menopausal period, as well as during pregnancy and after the woman gave birth.
But the process of increasing the uterus may be associated with other, more serious causes. Enlarged uterus can cause:
- Myoma . This type of tumor affects about half of the female population of reproductive age. This fibrous tumor can form in the wall, outside or inside the uterus.
- Ovarian cyst, which consists of a fluid-filled cavity.
- Adenomyosis , in which there is an expansion of the endometrium in the muscles of the uterus.
- Uterine cancer usually occurs during menopause. As a rule, a malignant tumor is formed in the endometrium and causes an increase in the size of the uterus.
- Molar pregnancy. This disease is associated with the development of abnormal fetal tissues, which also leads to an increase in the uterus. It is rare.