Uterine fibroids can be debilitating. Treatments offer hope for less pain, faster recovery [Video]

They can be as small as a grape or as large as a cantaloupe, and in some cases even bigger.

Uterine fibroids — non-cancerous tumours that grow spontaneously inside the wall of the uterus — are also profoundly common, with about 70 per cent of women developing them before the age of 50, according to the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

About one-third of those people will develop symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding and pain that can be debilitating and have major impacts on all aspects of their life.

But new technology is providing more treatment options that are promising less pain, a faster recovery and the potential to preserve fertility.

“Fibroids are a significant source of health burden, discomfort and they have an impact on quality of life for so many people” said Dr. Cindy Maxwell, an obstetrician and gynecologist and vice-president of medical affairs at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

Symptoms can …