الفهرس 
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Abstract
Uterine leiomyomas are the most common neoplasms of the female genital tract. They are benign tumors composed of smooth muscle and fibrous connective tissue. On the basis of symptomatology; they are estimated to occur in 20-30% of women in the reproductive age (1).
Myomas are estrogen-dependent tumors. Their growth is associated with exposure to circulating estrogen. Myomas decrease in size during menopause and under other hypoestrogenic conditions. They exhibit maximum growth during a woman’s reproductive life when estrogen secretion is maximal, demonstrating a spurt in growth in the decade before menopause. This growth spurt may be a function of anovulatory cycles with unopposed circulating estrogen (2). Myomas occasionally grow during pregnancy, a phenomenon that may be caused by estrogens, but also by increased blood flow and odema. Estrogen receptors are present in higher concentration in uterine myomas than in adjacent myometrium. They bind 20% more estradiol (E2) per milligram of cytoplasmic protein than normal adjacent myometrium (3).