Fibroid picked up for first time

[ailicis]

This is my second pregnancy. First pregnancy was unremarkable. Nothing mentioned on scans. I am 35. Cycles have been very regular. Never been on hormonal contraceptives. Normal BMI, although I have put on a little weight since my first pregnancy.

At my first scan (I measured 13wks) of this second pregnancy, I was told I have 4cm left lateral fibroid. The sonographer assumed I was aware of it, and just noted that it will be assessed again at my 20wk scan.

I'm a bit worried having read about complications caused by fibroid in pregnancy- especially the effect on fetal growth given my first baby was a low birth weight, but also worried about the effect on my future fertility. I also feel a little rubbish about the fact that breast feeding might have reduced my risk of developing a fibroid. I breast fed for 7 months, 3 month at the breast and another 4 pumping. I had a very tough time with BF- poor latch, had to use a nipple shield, supply never established. My supply very quickly dried up as I tried to drop a couple of feeds.

Any experiences of fibroids during pregnancy would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi! I have fibroids and am currently 32 weeks pregnant. It's very common to have fibroids once you get to the age of 35 (I'm 38) so don't beat yourself up for somehow 'causing' it, this is just something that many women's bodies do!

I did know about mine before I got pregnant but that was because I had been for a pelvic ultrasound to see if there was any reason I might have trouble conceiving (just wanted to know because I'm a bit of an older mum and this is my first baby) and they told me about them then. I talked to my GP at that time and he said it's not very clear what effect fibroids might have on pregnancy but depending on location, if they take up surface area in your uterus then it might give an embryo less space to attach so that would be why it might cause problems (but it's very dependent on the size and location of fibroid and it's not definite anyway). Clearly that wasn't an issue as I was actually unknowingly about 10 days post-conception when I had that appointment where we discussed all of that...!

The main impact has been because one of my fibroids (I have three, none of them especially large) is quite low down near my cervix, so there is a possibility that if baby's head doesn't go below it before the end of the pregnancy I will end up needing a c-section. That is because there's a chance the fibroid could cause extra bleeding if it remains in the way. I'm pretty philosophical about this and will do as I am told - at the moment though it looks like he's moving down past it so won't be an issue. In general the doctors have said that I'm at a slightly higher risk for bleeding more during the birth because of the fibroids, and I did have a consultant appointment to discuss the whole thing, but I'm not feeling too worried and they don't seem to be either. It seems like final decisions about what type of birth is most sensible will be made after a 36-week scan so waiting to see what happens.

As for baby's growth - I have been in for growth scans but not because the fibroid is impeding him, the opposite, he is enormous! Last time I was measured his head was on 97th centile and I've been tested twice for gestational diabetes (so far I don't have it) because they are like, why is this child so large? I don't think it's anything to do with the fibroids (I was a big baby myself so probably just genetic) but they are certainly not getting in his way!

Anyway not sure how much of this will be relevant to you but just wanted to share my experience. This pregnancy has been pretty smooth from my perspective so it doesn't have to be a big issue, I would say.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond- your post is incredibly helpfulhelpful.

Can I ask how large is the largest fibroid? My main concern is potential growth restriction. I have a host of other issues that I'm seeing numerous other health professionals for despite my first pregnancy being unremarkable- I'm seeing a doctor because my 1st baby was of low birth weight, an anesthesiologist because of spinal issues so we csn plan pain relief for labour (epidural failed last time), and I'm at risk of Rhesus disease because of my negative blood type. So I've just been feeling a little down to hear about this fibroid!

But your experience is reassuring. Thank you again for responding and best of luck with your pregnancy!

I have a 5cm ish fibroid that I was aware of before I conceived my first child six/seven years ago (it was a bit smaller then, however, 3-4cm) having had some investigations done as it took me a while to conceive (I have PCOS). I’m currently 39 weeks pregnant with my second and it’s increased slightly in size during this pregnancy but not caused any issues so far. It’s at the top of my uterus luckily so not likely to cause an issue with baby exiting. As per the PP, I’ve been warned there is a slightly increased chance of a bleed during birth but I’ll be monitored accordingly. I breastfed my first baby for 13 months and that has had no effect on the fibroid whatsoever- either positive or negative. Hopefully yours won’t cause any issues either - as the PP said, absolutely loads of women have them and they generally don’t cause any significant problems - you’d be in the very unlucky and fractional minority if yours did. Good luck!

I had two they found on a scan early on with my first and they gradually disappeared through the pregnancy. Nothing found in my second pregnancy.

@ailicis I think the largest dimension is about 6cm? Maybe 6x3.5cm, something like that ? That's the biggest fibroid but I have 3. It's got slightly larger during pregnancy, by 1.5cm or so, which isn't unusual because of how your hormones change. But yes, larger than yours and no issues with baby's growth

I was told they found a 5cm fibroid during my 12 week scan. I didn’t know I had it until then. I had a few extra growth scans and an appointment with a consultant just to be on the safe side but everything was fine. It meant that they advised me to be consultant-led for delivery rather than midwife-led but it didn’t cause any issues during pregnancy or labour. No growth issues either. Good luck with everything!