Fibroids & Menopause: Understanding Symptoms, Location & Shrinkage

Question
i have 3 small fibroids diag. last yr. I have missed 2 periods and prob. in menapause. I feel bloat, back pain, pressure in my rectum at times( Ihave a history of fissures) They are small from the US report. I wondered woould they give me discomfort depending on the location of them and that there are three. Canthey shrink after menapause? Thank you so much.

Answer
You will not be considered to have reached menopause until you have missed 12 periods in a row. When you have missed a full year of periods, we look back at your last period and say that on that day you reached menopause. Then you are considered "postmenopausal". Usually, fibroids will shrink little by little in the months following menopause. If the fibroids are pressing on your rectum, you will have pressure in your rectum and may have flattened stool. If the fibroids are pushing against your bladder, you may lose some urine or have urinary stress incontinence or frequency of urination (several times during the night). If the fibroids push through the wall of the endometrium, you will have heavy bleeding. Certainly, the location of the fibroid (no matter how big or small) can determine what symptoms it causes.