Can a fibroid cause continued periods for 10 days?

Q: My 41 years old friend has a fibroid measuring 3.5 cm. She gets her periods regularly and at the right time but this month the period continued for ten days at least. The bleeding was scanty. Please advise.

A:Fibroids produce symptoms depending on their location. They give bleeding problems only if they are encroaching the cavity of the uterus (womb). If your friend is having prolonged bleeding only in this current cycle and that too if the bleeding is not heavy, I would not necessarily relate it to the small fibroid she is noted to have.

This could be hormonal in origin as well and most of the times it does resolve spontaneously without any treatment. I would therefore advise to wait and see how her other periods turn out to be in the next couple of months before getting worried!

It is very unlikely that a 3.5 cm fibroid will cause any symptoms (or needs any treatment) unless - as I said earlier, it is within the cavity of the uterus.