A number of pregnant women have uterine fibroids which will not cause any problems for them or their babies. However during pregnancy, fibroids may increase in size. Growth of fibroids may cause discomfort, feelings of pressure, or pain. Fibroids decrease in size after pregnancy in most cases. Although fibroids do not usually causes serious problems to pregnant women, the risk of certain complications of pregnancy increase comparing to women who do not have fibroids.
These complications are:
- Miscarriage (in which the pregnancy ends before 20 weeks)
- Preterm labour
- Unstable lie (in which the baby is in a position other than head down)
Usually no treatment of fibroids are needed during pregnancy. If a patient has symptoms such as pain or discomfort, rest will be recommended. Sometimes a pregnant woman with fibroids will need to stay in the hospital for some time because of pain, bleeding, or threatened preterm labor. Sometimes a fibroid can be in the way of the fetus when exiting the uterus. In most cases, even a large fibroid will move out of the fetus’s way as the uterus expands during pregnancy. Rarely, a large fibroid can block the opening of the uterus or keep the baby from passing into the birth canal. In this case, a cesarean delivery is required. Women with large fibroids may have more blood loss after delivery
Patients who have had a myomectomy before pregnancy, may need a Cesarean section, depending on the extent of the operation.