fibroids in pregnancy - anyone any experience? anything to worry about?

[Tutter]

kind of forget about this as i was so absorbed in the downs risk calculation thing, but at my nuchal scan the sonographer noted a fibroid in the uterine wall - from memory about 5cm x 3cm

any likely impact on the pregnancy or birth?

Depends how close to the birth canal they are. I had a couple and had a C-section (not because of them I hasten to add!) I had a follow up scan and they had shrunk back down. I hear fibroids are very common in pregnancy.

I've got one (which I had before I conceived) but they've said it wouldn't cause any problems. I'd think if they thought it would be an issue, they'd tell you.

As ChipButty says, it's the position that's important - and also if they're really big but 3x5cm isn't.

Sometimes they are no problem at all, at other times they can cause severe problems with pregnancy and can certainly impede a natural birth if they are in the wrong position. Size and position is everything, a bit like the baby's head!

I've got fibroids which caused me to have an emergency cs last time, because they were blocking the exit route. They hadn't been picked up on the scans and were first diagnosed after I'd been in labour for 23 hours. I thought at the time the hospital had been negligent, but during my second pregnancy I have realised that because my fibroids are on the back wall of the uterus, it is very difficult to see them on a scan because they are hidden behind the baby.

You're lucky that yours has been spotted, and the medical team will be able to decide whether it poses a problem. Good luck - 30% of women have fibroids and most are absolutely fine with them!

thanks tuttifrutti

I had one in my 1st pregnancy but it wasn't detected until the birth. They said it was about the size of an orange. I had a scan 3 weeks after the birth and it had disappeared. I think if you know in advance about these things it's less worrying, and fibroids in any case are benign. I was very shocked to hear I had a fibroid at the birth and was worried in case it was something sinister - it wasn't. It also wasn't detected at either of my 2 scans, so it must have grown in later pregnancy. Most fibroids are completely harmless but maybe you need to see your GP just to make sure?

Your GP probably won't be able to advise you (mine couldn't), because unless the fibroids are so big and so well positioned that you can actually feel them from the outside, there is no way of knowing how serious they are. If you are really worried, ask for a referral to your consultant, but the hospital team should have already spotted anything serious on the scans.

I had my fibroids checked out in between pregnancies, and the only way of really seeing them was to do a hysteroctopy (sp?) where they insert a tiny camera through your cervix and take photographs of your uterus from the inside. Obviously you can't do this during pregnancy. A normal scan might show them, or might not, because a scan is only 2D so won't show anything hidden round the back of the baby.

I have two- and inconveniently low down as well. I dont think they are THAT big -i.e. not orange sized (gemmasmummy!)- tho that could explain my beer gut effect even before I was pg!. I had a scan at 24 weeks and they said they would scan again at 34- if they are still in the way I may need to have a cs. But then again, apparently a lot of times they move up as ur womb stretches so nothing to worry about.

bet I've got the biggest

mine was at least orange sized and very low down, so I ended up with an elective section (phew!). I recall one A/N appointment where the midwife announced to another mw in the waiting room, so everyone could hear, "There's Mrs X...she's got a fibroid as big as the wain!"

They grow with the baby (affected by the hormones), but shrink again post-delivery. I can still feel mine in my tummy though, and as it's supposed to be near my cervix, it must be quite big. Roll on the menopause when they shrivel even more!

I have fibroids and when I was pregnant with my twins, the big one was at the upper end of the uterine wall. The fibroid grew with the preganancy and I could feel it jutting through my side by 18 weeks. By 25 weeks, the fibroid was so big, it was not getting enough oxygenated blood so started to break down. I suffered excruciating pain and they had to put me on morphine because I was in agony. I was kept in hospital for a week until the pain was under control and then they sent me home for Christmas but I could not walk and the pain did not subside for about 3 weeks (hospital sent me home with plenty of painkillers).

Fortunately, the fibroid was located away from the babies so did not impact on them.