Can you carry a baby full term with fibroids?

We hear this question all the time: Can I have a baby with fibroids? We understand: if you have fibroids—non-cancerous tumors that grow in your uterus—you may be worried about your fertility. Will you be able to get pregnant? Or, if you get pregnant, will the fibroids affect your baby’s growth and birth? Unfortunately, fibroids can impact your ability to become pregnant or deliver a healthy baby. But that doesn’t mean your dreams of having a family will never come true. Let’s take a closer look.

Table of Contents Show

Will fibroids affect my fertility?
What fibroid treatments should I choose to help my fertility?
Is pregnancy with fibroids high risk?
Can a woman with fibroid deliver a baby?
Do fibroids affect labor?

Will fibroids affect my fertility?

Depending on the size and location of your fibroids, the tumors can block sperm from reaching and fertilizing one of your eggs. Fibroids can also make it more difficult for a fertilized embryo to implant in your uterus. And, if you do become pregnant, fibroids may impact fetal development if they are located in a spot where your baby should be growing. For these reasons, you may want to treat fibroids before becoming pregnant. But your doctor can better advise you regarding fibroids and your fertility options.

If you get pregnant while you have fibroids, your fetus could be affected, as we already mentioned. Luckily, a new study suggests a way to carry your baby without impact. In fact, 90% of participants carried their babies to full term!

The study followed 120 women with large fibroids in their first trimester. Then, those fibroids kept growing during the second trimester. And that’s a problem, since about 46% of pregnant women with large fibroids miscarry.

To help these women, researchers divided them into four groups. One group received a cervical procedure and targeted progesterone therapy. Another group received both treatments and a myomectomy. (That’s a surgery to remove individual fibroids.) Then, a third group only received progesterone therapy. And the fourth group of women only received traditional maternal medical care.

At the end of the study, results were promising. The women who had cervical procedures and progesterone treatment reduced their miscarriage rate more than two times over compared to just progesterone treatment. And, compared to no-intervention, miscarriage rates dropped by 11.2%.

Of course, this news is promising for pregnant women with fibroids. But some women may prefer to treat fibroids before getting pregnant. Or, you may need to treat your fibroids in order to successfully conceive. So, if that’s the case for you, keep reading to learn more about the best fibroid treatments for family planning.

What fibroid treatments should I choose to help my fertility?

Thankfully, you have many treatment options when it comes to fibroid tumors. It’s important to talk to a fibroid specialist about your family goals so you can choose the one that’s best for you.

In our Houston fibroid practice, we offer a treatment known as Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). It is a minimally-invasive, non-surgical option that shrinks and kills fibroids by cutting off their blood supply. The procedure is performed through a catheter inserted through your arm. Particles are injected to the catheter to block the artery feeding your fibroids. Many women who undergo UFE go on to have healthy pregnancies.

Some women who still want to get pregnant may prefer a myomectomy—the surgical removal of your fibroid. If that’s the treatment option you select, you’ll need to give your uterus three to six months of healing time before trying to get pregnant.

One final word of warning, to help you manage your expectations: if you’ve had six or more fibroids removed surgically, research shows that you have a lower chance of getting pregnant than women with fewer fibroids. It’s also important to note that myomectomy may weaken your uterus, so it may be safer to deliver your baby via C-section following this fibroid treatment option.

While this information may seem frightening, it’s important to remember: pregnancy is possible, with and after fibroids. Stay positive, and be sure to schedule a consultation with our fibroid experts to discuss all your treatment options.

Sources: Cleveland Clinic, Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine

Is pregnancy with fibroids high risk?

Women with fibroids are more likely to have pregnancies with complications such as fetal malpresentation (fetal body position that is not “head down”), preterm delivery, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), placenta previa, placental abruption, cesarean delivery, and severe postpartum hemorrhage.

Can a woman with fibroid deliver a baby?

Fortunately, most women with fibroids are able to have a fairly normal pregnancy with vaginal delivery. However, fibroids are known to cause complications in some cases. In general, the likelihood that fibroids will cause complications depends on the size of the fibroid and the location of the fibroid.

Do fibroids affect labor?

Pregnant women with fibroids are significantly more likely to develop preterm labor and to deliver preterm than women without fibroids (16.1% vs 8.7% and 16% vs 10.8%, respectively; Table 1). Multiple fibroids and fibroids contacting the placenta appear to be independent risk factors for preterm labor.