UTERINE FIBROID AND UTERINE POLYPS- SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Uterine fibroids are thick muscle tissues, produced under the effect of hormones, This non-cancerous growth on the walls of the uterus, is called as fibroid. Fibroids may vary in size and are not considered life-threatening.
Uterine polyps are in round or oval shapes, that grow upon the uterus wall (also known as the endometrium). The growth happens after each period cycle ends, hormones urge endometrium to grow again. It can develop both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Polyps can pose serious health issues like cancer and infertility.
Similarities:
- Difficult to urinate or frequent urination
- Excessive vaginal bleeding
- Irregular menstruation
- Pain near the hips and abdomen
- Pain during sexual intercourse.
Differences:
| Sl. no | Uterine polyps | Uterine fibroids |
| 01 | Polyps grow from endometrial tissue that attaches to the lining of the uterus. | Fibroids may grow upon wall of uterus, inside the lining of the uterus or may be outside of the lining of the uterus. |
| 02 | Small in size (a couple of centimeters) | Vary in size- minuscule to extremely large and may shrink |
| 03 | Invasive and surgical methods may require to remove the polyps | Noninvasive methods to remove fibroid tissues |
| 04 | They can regress | They do not regress |
| 05 | Can be controlled by hormone-balancing drugs | It cannot be controlled by medications. |
| 06 | Potentially cancerous | Non-cancerous |