Are YOU at risk of painful uterine fibroids? They can leave you infertile, increase the risk of miscarriage and cause heavy bleeding - and 3 in 4 women will suffer them

For the hundreds of thousands of women across America diagnosed with fibroids, there are very few treatment options available.

As many as three in four women will develop the benign tumors in the wall of their uterus at some point during their lives.

For those who are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s the condition threatens to render them infertile.

Until now, only invasive surgery could get rid of the non-cancerous growths. And in many cases a hysterectomy is the only option to cure the painful condition.

But now, a new a study promises to offer hope to those women who develop uterine fibroids.

A new oral drug has been found effective against fibroids, and 'has the potential to offer the first and only non-invasive long-term treatment option' for women suffering the condition in the US.

Three in four American women will develop uterine fibroids by the time they are 50 years old, studies have shown. Until now, the main forms of treatment were invasive surgical procedures. But a new study has revealed an oral drug is showing promising results, offering hope for millions of women

Fibroids expert, Dr Ayman Al-Hendy, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Augusta University, told Daily Mail Online the development marks an 'exciting time' in his field.

Uterine fibroids, also known as myomas, are the most common benign tumors affecting up to 80 per cent of women in the US by the time they reach 50 years old.

The condition is the leading cause of hysterectomies in the country, and costs the economy up to $34 billion a year.

The tumors are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus.

Symptoms of uterine fibroids can range from mild to severe and have the potential to impact a woman's day-to-day functioning. 

Dr Al-Hendy said though fibroids are not cancerous, 'they can have a profound impact on a woman's life, causing many different symptoms'. 

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE FIBROIDS?

Dr Al-Hendy said the most common sign a woman is suffering fibroids, is when they experience heavy, vaginal bleeding.

He said typically a patient will visit their doctor complaining of a change to their typical period.

'They may say, 'my period used to last four to five days but now lasts eight to nine days',' he told Daily Mail Online.

'Furthermore it could be that the level of bleeding has changed such that they have to change their sanitary pads more often, every couple of hours, sometimes soiling clothes because their bleeding is so heavy.'

Depending on the severity of their condition, it can be the case that a woman will bleed continuously throughout the month, with no breaks between periods.

In other cases, Dr Al-Hendy explained women can experience heavy bleeding between periods. 

Fibroids are benign tumors or growths that develop in the muscle wall of the uterus, illustrated above in purple

In addition, though less common, other symptoms include:

• Pelvic pain or pressure - depending on where the fibroids have developed, a woman can experience pain in her abdomen, Dr Al-Hendy said
• Frequent urination - if the fibroids exert pressure on a woman's bladder the result can be a frequent urge to urinate regularly
• Difficulty emptying your bladder 
• Constipation 
• Backache or leg pain

In addition, being diagnosed with uterine fibroids can impact on a women's health in other ways.

Dr Al-Hendy said the condition has a dramatic impact on a woman's fertility.

'Fibroids mean a higher risk of having a miscarriage,' he explained. 

'The risk is at least double compared to women who are not suffering with fibroids.' 

He said because the benign tumors are attached to the wall of the womb they can fill the cavity of the uterus, thus increasing the chance of miscarriage.

Furthermore, for women who do carry to term, the condition increases the risk of C-section and heavy bleeding during delivery.

'They can be very dangerous indeed,' Dr Al-Hendy said.

WHO IS AT RISK? 

Fibroids are 'very, very common', Dr Al-Hendy said.

Around 80 per cent of American women will have been diagnosed with the condition by the time they reach 50 years old.

And studies have shown that the incidence of uterine fibroids is more prevalent among African-American women. 

Dr Al-Hendy told Daily Mail Online, it is common for African-American women to develop fibroids much earlier than their peers, often in their 20s,

For these women the condition typically gets worse as they reach their 30s and 40s.  

While all women of childbearing age are at risk, studies have shown African-American women are at greater risk, and are more likely to develop fibroids at a younger age. Furthermore, a woman is at greater risk if her mother or sister has been diagnosed with the condition, as scientists believe there is a genetic link (file image)

There are few known risk factors for uterine fibroids, other than being a woman in her childbearing years.

Aside from race, there are small number of other known risk factors.

The condition is thought to be hereditary. A woman is at greater risk if her mother or sister has been diagnosed with the condition.

And women who begin their periods at an early age, those who have a diet rich in red meat and lower in green vegetables and drinking alcohol can increase a woman's risk.

WHAT CAUSES FIBROIDS?

Doctors do not know the exact cause of fibroids, but past studies has pointed to a number of possibilities.

Genetic changes are thought to be one possible cause.

Many fibroids contain changes in genes that differ from those in normal uterine cells.

Furthermore, scientists have observed the condition can run in families, and that identical twins are more likely to both be diagnosed than non-identical twins.

Hormones also play a role.

Estrogen and progesterone - two female sex hormones - promote the growth of fibroids.

As such, women who produce higher levels of the two hormones are thought to be at greater risk.

The incidence of fibroids tends to slow down after a woman reaches menopause, when production of these hormones slows down considerably.

The most common form of treatment in the US is hysterectomy, which renders a woman unable to bear children. With more and more women putting off having children until they are older, experts say there is an increasing urgency to find alternative treatment solutions

CAN THEY BE TREATED? 

Currently, the only treatment options available to tackle fibroids in the US is invasive and centers around surgery or other surgical procedures, Dr Al-Hendy explained.

He said in many cases doctors are forced to resort to hysterectomy, to remove the benign growths altogether.

That, he said, remains the only permanent treatment.

But, he said, it is a major operation and for those younger patients, it can prove a difficult decision to make given it prevents childbearing.

Another common treatment option, is a procedure known as myomectomy.

This involves the removal of the fibroids from the uterus, but leaves the womb in place. Though not as final as a hysterectomy, the procedure can cause complications such as a build up of scar tissue in the uterus.

However, Dr Al-Hendy said there are 'exciting' new developments in the quest for an oral alternative.

He referenced the recent trial by pharmaceutical company Allergan, testing the oral drug ulipristal acetate.

'It is potentially exciting and could eventually offer an oral treatment for these women,' he told Daily Mail Online.  

The study included 157 patients, with 101 selected randomly to be given the drug while the remaining 56 received a placebo.

The results showed the drug treatment 'achieving statistically significant results over placebo,' Allergan said.

A new trial by pharmaceutical company Allergen has shown promising results for an oral treatment. Experts have hailed the possibility of oral medication 'an exciting step forward' offering hope to millions of women

Of great significance, they said, was the complete absence of bleeding among a significant number of those women receiving the drug, than those on the placebo medication.

Dr. István Greiner, Research Director of Gedeon Richter Plc, who worked with Allergan, said: 'We are delighted with this significant step forward for ulipristal acetate as it confirms and underlines that it could provide medical therapy to many women suffering from this condition..

Dr Al-Hendy added: 'This and other research might evidence that some women can use this drug safely and easily to quickly treat and stop the disease.

'The concept is really exciting for me and my researchers.

'It is really exciting, and hopefully going forwards we will have a viable option for these women in the form of an oral treatment.' 

He said though an oral treatment is available in Europe, this study marks the first of its kind in the US. 

And he said as more and more women delay childbirth to focus on their careers, uterine fibroids will become a growing issue in the next 20 to 30 years. 

Dr Al-Hendy said on average at his practice in Augusta, Georgia he sees around 20 to 25 patients each week suffering fibroids - mainly older women.