Don't ignore fibroids, get them checked out

Dear Donya,

I am a mother of two (an eight-year-old and a six-year-old). Having delivered my second child I have been using an IUD as a contraceptive.

The other day when I went for a check-up with my gynecologist, he said that I had fibroids in my uterus. He didn't seem to be overly concerned about it when I asked him questions and told me not to worry.

My question is, should I worry about it?

Is it possible it's caused by the IUD? What should I do? -- J

Dear J,

A fibroid is a uterine mass, which is also known as myoma uteri, meaning benign tumor. So, is it a time to take your IUD out?

I think taking the IUD out is a good idea as right now your uterus is not normal so avoiding a foreign body would be better. The IUD is not the cause of the fibroid but once you have a fibroid you should change to a different method of birth control.

The most important thing is to find out the size of your fibroid and once you have been informed, you should check its development every six months.

Hope this gives you what you are looking for. -- Dr Donya