UTERINE fibroids are common growths of the uterus. They often appear during the years a woman is usually able to get pregnant and give birth. Uterine fibroids are not cancer, and they almost never turn into cancer. They aren’t linked with a higher risk of other types of cancer in the uterus either. They’re also called leiomyomas or myomas.

Here are some facts about fibroids, a condition that affects a great subsection of Jamaican women, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

Fibroids vary in number and size. A woman can have a single fibroid, or more than one. Some of these growths are too small to see with the eyes. Others can grow to the size of a grapefruit or larger. A fibroid that gets very big can distort the inside and the outside of the uterus. In extreme cases, some fibroids grow large enough to fill the pelvis or stomach area. They can make a woman look pregnant.