Uterine polyps usually have no symptoms and are discovered accidentally on a routine examination by a gynecologist. However, in some women, polyps can cause the following symptoms:
- Vaginal bleeding after menopause (after 1 year without menstruating); Abundant menstruation, requiring more than 1 packet of absorbent in each cycle; Irregular menstruation; Difficulty getting pregnant; Vaginal bleeding after intimate contact; Intense menstrual cramps; smell.
The causes of uterine polyps are not yet fully understood, but women who undergo hormone replacement at menopause have a greater tendency to develop this type of polyps. Learn more about what can cause uterine polyp.
Is uterine polyp dangerous?
Most polyps in the uterus are benign and therefore, although they can cause symptoms, they do not put a woman's life at risk. However, there are some cases in which the polyp can turn into cancer, however, there are no specific symptoms of malignant uterine polyp.
To find out if a polyp is benign or malignant it is important to go to the gynecologist to make an observation of the polyp every 6 months. If the polyp is growing over time, there is an increased risk of being malignant, and in these cases, the doctor usually has a small surgery in the office, with local anesthesia, to remove the polyp and send it to be analyzed in the laboratory.
If the results indicate that the polyp is malignant, the doctor will discuss treatment options, but they usually include using hormonal medications and surgery to remove all polyps or remove the uterus, according to the woman's age and her desire to have children. Learn more about how uterine polyps are treated.
How to know if I have uterine polyp
Since most polyps in the uterus do not cause any symptoms, the only way to confirm their presence is to have a transvaginal ultrasound or colposcopy exam, which assess possible changes in the lining of the uterus.
If an endometrial polyp is observed in young women who have not yet entered menopause, the gynecologist usually decides not to undergo any treatment, preferring to wait for 6 months and then reassess whether the polyp has grown or decreased in size.
