Fibroids And Pregnancy
Many women of childbearing age diagnosed with uterine fibroids are concerned about the effect of the disease on their chances to conceive and carry a baby. Many women are not informed by their Ob/GYN about all the options of treating fibroids available today, but every woman should know about all options she has.
You have a fibroid and you doubt whether you can get pregnant and have a baby? Be sure: with careful attention to your health and following all the recommendations of doctors, uterine fibroids will not become an obstacle to happy motherhood. However, there are some nuances cannot be ignored.
Fibroids And Pregnancy: Can I Have A Baby?
When it comes to uterine fibroids, conception difficulties are explained by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the location of the tumors, their impact on the fallopian tubes, impaired ovulation, and many more. Although fibroids are not considered to be the direct cause of infertility, getting rid of fibroids greatly increases the likelihood of conception.
Fibroids and Pregnancy: Miscarriage Risks
Serious complications may occur if there is the contact of the fibroids with the placenta. Also, the size and location of the tumors are important (most women with small fibroids do not observe any complications during pregnancy, and the disease is asymptomatic).
Also, one of the dangers of pregnancy with fibroids is a miscarriage.
The presence of fibroids increases the risk of spontaneous abortion and preterm birth. As a rule, the larger the size of fibroids, the higher the likelihood of preterm birth. But other factors may also play a significant role in every individual case.
Additionally, large fibroids may impact the growth and development of the baby. Women with large fibroids are more likely to have children with low birth weight.
Childbirth with Fibroids
Statistically, pregnant women with fibroids are more likely to have labor complications and need a cesarean section. Although fibroids are not an obstacle for natural childbirth, the tumors (especially the large ones) can affect the position of the fetus making natural delivery quite difficult or impossible.
Postpartum Complications: Fibroids and Pregnancy
Both early and late postpartum complications may be associated with the presence of fibroids.
Among them are postpartum hemorrhages due to decreased uterine tone, tight attachment, and increment of the placenta, incomplete involution of the uterus (when the uterus does not decrease to its “initial” size), and infectious diseases.
How do pregnancy and childbirth affect fibroids?
For the development of a pregnancy, an increased formation of estrogen and progesterone is necessary – both of which significantly affect the growth and change of fibroids.
Fibroids are also affected by other changes in the body, such as an increase and extension of the uterine muscle (myometrium), increased blood flow in the uterine wall.
It is generally accepted that fibroids grow during pregnancy. An increase in the size of fibroids is observed in the first and second trimesters, and in the third, all fibroids become smaller. In fact, a significant increase in fibroids during pregnancy is rare.
More often, another phenomenon occurs during pregnancy – the degeneration (i.e. destruction) of fibroids. But even this process will not help get rid of fibroids and their unpleasant symptoms completely. In any case, a woman needs effective fibroid treatment.
Despite several potential difficulties and risks, a woman can become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child with uterine fibroids. A nonsurgical and noninvasive treatment method called Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is an excellent alternative to fibroids surgery (myomectomy) for women planning to have children in the future. UFE treats all fibroids in the uterus (regardless of the size) and allows women to carry to term and give birth naturally.
We are witnesses of how dozens of women became mothers after the UFE procedure. Many of them could not get pregnant and had numerous miscarriages before UFE. After 3-6 months after the procedure, they became pregnant and subsequently gave birth to healthy babies.
The whole wall with letters from happy mothers and photos of their children is confirmation that uterine fibroid embolization is the safest and most reliable method of treating uterine fibroids for women who dream of becoming a mother.