Enlargement of the uterus. The size of the uterus during the week of pregnancy
The size of the uterus should be taken into account when assessing a woman's health. A large or small uterus signals changes in the female body - both physiological and pathological. Therefore, the size of this organ is one of the important criteria evaluated by gynecologists. At the same time, the sizes of other genital organs are also assessed - an enlarged cervix and ovaries will complement the diagnosis of gynecological pathology.
Reasons of uterine enlargement
The uterus consists of muscle fibers capable of stretching. This is one of the organs, the size of which can vary greatly depending on its condition. Enlargement of the uterus is much more common than its reduction.
When asking the question "the uterus is enlarged - what does it mean?", patients should understand not only the reasons, but also the consequences of this process.
The causes of uterine enlargement are physiological and pathological.
The most pleasant reason for an enlarged uterus is pregnancy. But expectations do not always correspond to reality. Therefore, the causes of uterine enlargement with a negative pregnancy test can also be:
- approaching menopause;
- benign formations (most often this is a myoma - a tumor that develops from the muscular layer of the uterus);
- cyst-like formations;
- uterine adenomyosis (growth of the endometrium into other layers of the uterus);
- emergence of malignant tumors of the uterus;
- so-called molar pregnancy. This is a placental development disorder that can occur at different stages of pregnancy and is accompanied by more or less abnormal hypertrophy of fetal tissues. It is believed that a molar pregnancy occurs due to a genetic error;
- some women – in the postpartum period. Why is the uterus enlarged after childbirth? This primarily depends on the ability of its walls to shrink. Due to their atony, the uterus may not return to its original size for some time after childbirth.
Characteristics of the most frequent causes of uterine enlargement
The size of the uterus during the weeks of pregnancy is not the only criterion. Fibroids are one of the most common causes of uterine enlargement. Factors that provoke the appearance of this benign tumor:
- hormonal background shift;
- irregular sexual relations;
- lack of satisfaction from sexual life;
- medical abortions;
- traumatic childbirth;
- genetic predisposition;
- prolonged chronic diseases (obesity, hypertension);
- passive sedentary lifestyle.
Increasing the size of the uterus due to a growing fibroid should cause concern, as unpleasant complications may occur:
- impossibility to get pregnant;
- miscarriage and termination of pregnancy at different times;
- malignization (regeneration into a malignant neoplasm).
According to some authors, a uterine cyst is one of the ten most frequent causes of uterine enlargement. Often the cyst leads to uneven, "one-sided" enlargement of the described organ: the uterus itself is small in size, but with a huge bulging cyst.
Rapid growth of the uterus may indicate a malignant lesion, which should cause clinical alertness of doctors. Women are at risk:
- with obesity of any degree;
- with polycystic ovaries;
- that have not given birth before;
- who have menopause earlier than usual.
Large or small uterus: symptoms
In a number of cases, the uterus does not signal its increase or decrease in any clinical symptomatology, a change in its size is detected only during an objective examination (in particular, with the use of additional instrumental diagnostic methods that demonstrate the normal size of the uterus in women and with pathologies). Nevertheless, the following signs may indicate a disease of this organ, accompanied by its enlargement compared to the norm:
- stretching pains in the lower abdomen, occurring with enviable constancy;
- periodic urinary incontinence (due to the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the bladder);
- painful sensations during or immediately after sexual intercourse;
- intensification of menstrual bleeding and the release of large blood clots, as well as the appearance of bleeding or smearing. In the case of some diseases, such signs can also be manifested by a small-sized uterus, and not only an enlarged one;
- flatulence-like flatulence;
- pains in the area of the kidneys;
- periodic headache (like a migraine);
- an increase in body weight (especially against the background of hormonal changes);
- increase and soreness of mammary glands.
These are universal symptoms that can signal a number of uterine diseases that provoke its increase. On the other hand, it should be taken into account that these signs are not reliable symptoms of changes in the size of the uterus, and in some cases, the normal size of the body of the uterus according to ultrasound results may not correspond to clinical symptoms. Although the opposite happens - the uterus can be enlarged, and the signs of the disease are not yet apparent.
Pregnancy: what is the normal size of the uterus in women
A significant change in the size of the pregnant uterus begins from the 4th week of pregnancy. The organ increases due to the fact that the fibers of the myometrium (muscle layer) are able to increase in length 8-10 times, and in thickness - 4-5 times. If, outside of pregnancy, the size of the uterus and ovaries in mm can only make an approximate guess about their condition, then the size of the pregnant uterus can very accurately indicate the term "interesting position": 8-9 cm - at 8-9 weeks; 12-13 cm - at 14-15, 29-32 cm - at 30-31, 34-35 cm - at 40-41 weeks.
You can learn more about the size of the uterus in other periods of pregnancy on our website Dobrobut.com.
At 24 weeks, the size of the cervix during pregnancy is determined to assess the likelihood of premature birth. Normally, its length in this term is equal to 3.5 cm. A cervix length of less than 2.2 cm indicates that the risk of premature labor is 20%.
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