Worrying about fibroids

[elizally]

I hope this is okay in this section. I've been having (usually mild) pain on the right hand side of my abdomen for years, went to a gynecologist a few years ago who eventually concluded nothing was wrong. I went again more recently, as it was still there, and this time an ultrasound picked up fibroids.

One big-ish one actually (9cm) and a lot of smaller ones. Apparently I have a 'generally bulky uterus'. Great. ("did you just call my uterus fat??")

My GP says it's nothing to worry about but I am, nevertheless, worried. She said I could have a referral to a gynecologist, but when I rang a couple of days ago to ask, because I hadn't heard from them, I was told a letter had been sent out and I had missed the appointment last week. Having not heard from them at ALL I'm just kicking myself I didn't question it sooner. So now I'll have to wait longer for an appointment AND my GP now thinks I'm flaky and miss appointments.

The thing that's worrying me is I can feel it getting bigger. When I had the ultrasound it wasn't massively noticeable, but a few months on I can actually see a noticeable lump if I lie on my back, and it's palpably bigger. It's painful sometimes but I can live with that.

I'm 33 and really want to have children, and I don't know how this will cause problems. Apparently because of where it is it's not likely to affect fertility, but generally fibroids can make miscarriages more likely and pregnancies more complicated. I'm not even close to being in a good position to try to have a baby right now, but am really worried that if I wait a few years more it will cause even more problems. Also if you have them removed the operation itself can cause problems and in any case it sounds like they usually just grow back.

Just generally stressing me out, to be honest. Has anyone had pregnancies with fibroids? Or had treatment for them while relatively young? The reason I ask is I went looking for some old threads on here about fibroids and most people discussing it were a bit older, had kids and planning to have a hysterectomy. Which is what I really don't want.

Bumping for you as I'd be interested to hear other experiences on this. Can I also ask you what symptoms you experienced?

I had pain on one side (where you think your right ovary must be) and then later, by the time I posted this thread, I had a visible, palpable lump in my abdomen. The symptoms started getting much worse after I posted this - needing to pee all the time, and cramps like period pains but at random times through the month, painful pressure and stabbing pains, bloating.

After seeing a consultant again it turns out I only have one fibroid, but it is enormous and has grown very fast - it's now 15cm x 12cm.

The consultant I saw actually had no concerns about fertility - he said they would remove it and I could get pregnant after that. But I will be very grateful to get it out, as it's been very difficult to deal with now it's so big.

You might want to report your post to get it moved to 'general health' if you want more thoughts because this is the contraception topic (and it probably languished with not many answers because it might not have been seen by the people who have knowledge/experience to help with the wider gynae and future conception issues)

From the contraception pov, then as you have been told they do not affect your fertility at the moment, then yes do do need to continue to use it.

A bulky uterus is enlarged.. In your case because of the fibroids. Not fat
Lots of people conceive with fibroids, generally their not a problem. They do however grow bigger whilst pregnant as they feed from the extra oestrogen produced whilst pregnant. Often they will shrInk again after pregnancy.
Depending on where abouts the fibroid is in the uterus is can affect mode of delivery. The worst case scenario is one right in the middle of the cervix, This will be picked up on ultrasound though and the dr's generally will perform a CSection. Otherwise it's carry on as normal.
Some dr's will remove a fibroid if it's big enough and causing any issues. Some people have a tiny pea size fibroid aggrevating the endometrium and causing. Hellish periods and others will have apple size fibroids and have no problems at all.
Fibroids are most common in Afro-Caribbean women, I don't know why! They just are..

It's okay, I don't need any further comments about it - at the time I posted the thread I was very concerned about whether it would affect my ability to conceive one day, and then I didn't want to ignore the poster who had bumped the thread and asked about it.

I am still worried for various reasons but no need to bother other people about that. Shall I just delete the thread?