How Do Fibroids Affect Pregnancy?-The Impact Of Uterine Fibroid Tumors

If you have fibroids and are contemplating have a baby, you may be wanting an answer to the question, “How do fibroids affect pregnancy?”. The truth is that there are a number of ways fibroids can impact upon various aspects of pregnancy, but the main thing to remember is that the majority of women who have fibroids will go on to have a successful conception, a healthy pregnancy and a straightforward delivery.

Fibroids affect a large proportion of the female population and in most cases, they go undetected. However, for a smaller number of women, fibroids cause terrible symptoms and these become of greater concern if you are hoping to start a family.

For some women though, things are not quite so simple. One common way how fibroids affect pregnancy is due to their size and location. If fibroids are situated close to the entrance of the fallopian tubes or the cervix, they can simply block the passage of sperm, particularly if they are large. If they are located within the uterus, larger fibroids (particularly subserosal) can distort the uterine cavity and this can cause implantation to fail or for a very early miscarriage to happen, even before the women knows she is pregnant. Later in pregnancy, fibroids can sometimes cause an early delivery, although in the majority of cases, this is usually close to term and will not harm the baby.

Also, fibroids affect pregnancy more rarely, by causing pain and bleeding during the middle trimester. Although this is rarely a serious problem, it can cause pain and many women may worry that they are losing the pregnancy. If this happens, you should seek advice and reassurance from your doctor.

It is worth knowing that fibroids rarely enlarge during pregnancy and will, in some cases, actually reduce in size. However, you may wish to take measures to reduce the size of them and their symptoms before conception.

If you would like to see details of a 7 Step Plan which has been developed by an alternative practitioner, you can find full details of the 7 Step Plan for curing fibroids naturally at Shrink Fibroids. If you want comprehensive answers to the question “How do fibroids affect pregnancy?” you will find them on this useful site

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Watch video related to uterine fibroid tumors

What are Fibroids?: Fibroids are benign growths in the uterus. Depending on their location, symptoms of fibroids may be heavy menstrual bleeding, pain, or pressure on the bladder, bowels or back. Fibroids are the most common benign tumor in humans, affecting 40% of women over 40 years of age. They are the reason for one third of all hysterectomies [removal of the uterus] performed each year in the United States. Slightly larger numbers of African American women are affected with fibroids, but they cause suffering for women of all ages and ethnic groups. Symptoms of Fibroids: Uterine fibroids cause different symptoms depending on the fibroids size and position within the uterus. Fibroids may be within the wall, where they are called intramural fibroids. They can be outside the uterus, where they are termed subserosal fibroids. If the fibroids are within the cavity of the uterus they are referred to as submucous fibroids. Submucous fibroids often cause heavy bleeding. Such fibroids need not be large to cause life threatening bleeding. Menstrual bleeding may be very heavy, or a patient may have bleeding outside of the regular cycle of period bleeding. Such fibroids may also cause a woman who is pregnant to miscarry. Subserous and intramural fibroids often cause pain and pressure in the pelvic area. Patients complain that their fibroids cause them to urinate often, and not completely empty their bladder. Similarly, fibroids in this position may cause pressure on the rectum <b>…</b>

Help answer the question about uterine fibroid tumors

Abdominal Myomectomy for Uterine Fibroid Tumors?
I have done my research, so I am really looking for answers based on the personal experience of other women. PLEASE, serious responses only.

Background: I'm 34 and I have uterine fibroid tumors, diagnosed by internal ultrasound. 2 of the 3 are quite large. 1 is pedunculated. I know that small, asymptomatic fibroids are commonly left untreated, but in my case, my doctor recommends removal because of the size and my symptoms. My symptoms include pain, enlarged abdomen, bladder/urinary issues, pain during intercourse and even tampon use, dysfunctional vaginal bleeding (like a period, but for 2+ wks of the month, in addition to my week-long, heavy period), etc. My doctor also recommends surgery because removal will increase my chances (from my current state) of being able to conceive later.

In my case, my doctor determined that the only surgery available to me is abdominal myomectomy. (There are less evasive treatments including medications and laparoscopy, but I do not qualify for them.) This surgery involves a 4-5" horizontal incision in my abdomen and an incision in the uterine wall once the uterus is lifted out through the incision. If I am later able to conceive, and if I successfully carry a child near term, I will have to have a planned C-section birth a few weeks early due to the weakening of the uterine wall.

I know there are risks as with any surgery (blood loss, anesthesia issues, etc.). The possible complications for this specific surgery include infertilization, unexpected hysterectomy, excessive scar tissue, recurrence of the fibroids, etc. For me, my desire for a normal quality of life and my hope of having children both outweigh the risks.

My questions are:

(1) How long will this surgery take to recover (i.e., when may I walk and sleep without excruciating pain, return to the desk part of my job, exercise – cardio, situps)? My research says it takes 2-6 weeks to return to work, varying from person to person. I am healthy, relatively active, and have a fairly high tolerance of pain. Can anyone similar to me describe the approximate recovery time?

(2) What other personal experience can you share (i.e., post-surgery pregnancy, infertilization, surgery complications, recurrence, pregnancy complications/miscarriage, etc.)?

(3) If you did experience infertilization (not caused by unexpected hysterectomy), is In Vitro still an option?

THANK YOU!!

About Author

Bernadette Hopkins -
About the Author:

Having suffered from very large fibroids herself, Bernadette was scheduled to undergo a hysterectomy when she decided to try an alternative treatment to shrink fibroids naturally. Success followed, and she enjoys recommending this method to other women so they can be free of the symptoms.