You can have a baby with fibroids, but they may affect your ability to carry a pregnancy successfully. Whether you are trying to get pregnant, are concerned about your fertility, or are already pregnant and have fibroids, it is essential to consult your healthcare provider to learn how you can have a healthy, full-term baby. Visit Downtown Vein & Vascular Center to learn about the most advanced and innovative treatments for fibroids and how they can help you maintain fertility if you want to become pregnant. Dr. Sergei A. Sobolevsky focuses on preserving your reproductive organs while treating fibroids.
Many women with fibroids have safe and healthy pregnancies. It is the size, location, and number of fibroids in the uterus that can affect pregnancy outcomes. Fibroids can sometimes lead to problems with the development of the baby or difficulties during labor. If you have fibroids and want to start a family, consult your doctor regarding your treatment and risks. Your healthcare provider can help you understand more about this condition and decide what is safest for you and the baby.
Read on to learn more about fibroids, fertility, and infertility and the potential impact of your fibroids on future pregnancies, and the best solutions to maintain your fertility.
Can You Still Be Fertile With Fibroids?
Women with fibroids can get pregnant. However, to improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy, it is necessary to have a detailed discussion with your doctor to ensure fibroids do not affect your quality of life, pregnancy outcome, and fertility.
Read more: Why Are The Veins in My Feet Bulging?
Can Fibroids Cause Infertility?
Some types of fibroids can affect your fertility. The bulge in the center of the uterus, caused by fibroids, makes it more difficult for an embryo or a fertilized egg to implant in the lining of the uterus. Fibroids can also block the fallopian tubes, or a large fibroid may prevent a fetus from growing fully due to decreased space in the uterus.
Some fibroids also grow outside the uterus, changing its shape and thus making it hard for you to get pregnant. If you have fibroids and are having trouble getting pregnant, there may be some correlation, and it is best to consult your doctor to rule out other possible causes of infertility.
See available treatments our fibroid specialists near you offer:
Our clinic also provides effective vein treatments, such as:
Does Removing Fibroids Improve Fertility?
For some women, removing fibroids with treatments that do not affect the uterus may work and improve fertility. It is crucial to understand that the primary goal of fibroid removal or treatment is to get rid of the painful symptoms and ensure you do not face heavy bleeding and bloating every month.
Is it Possible To Get Fertility Treatment With Fibroids?
Yes. You can seek fertility treatment even if you have been diagnosed with fibroids. Consult your healthcare provider to learn about minimally invasive treatment options and techniques that ensure you get the best solutions for your fertility issues. The doctor will figure out which treatment will best help you reach your goals.
Can You Freeze Your Eggs With Fibroids?
Yes. If you want to have a baby after having a specific fibroid treatment, you can preserve your eggs. Planning is crucial, particularly if you are having a hysterectomy, as it will affect your ability to get pregnant. The effect of uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) on fertility is still under investigation, but it is better to be on the safe side and freeze your eggs to ensure you do not face any problems in having a baby when you want.
Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery With Fibroids
Fortunately, most women with fibroids can have a fairly normal pregnancy with virginal delivery, but fibroids are known to cause complications in certain cases. The problems fibroids will cause depend on their size and location in the uterus.
The presence of fibroids can also lead to some problems with the development of the baby or difficulties during labor. Women with fibroids may experience abdominal pain during pregnancy, and there is a risk of premature labor.
Can You Get Pregnant With Fibroids?
Fibroids are common, and women with fibroids can have safe and healthy pregnancies. However, the size, location, and number of fibroids can affect pregnancy outcomes, and submucosal fibroids may affect fertility. Some women with fibroids may have premature delivery or need a cesarean. In many cases, fibroids can cause infertility or miscarriages.
Having fibroids does not interfere with ovulation, but submucosal fibroids can make it harder for the uterus to support conception and maintain pregnancy. It is essential to talk to your doctor if you are planning to have a baby or are already pregnant to learn more about fibroids, their causes and how fibroids can affect a pregnancy, and what you can do to ensure your and baby’s health.
Are There Any Fibroid Treatments To Maintain Fertility?
If you are young and healthy and want to maintain your fertility, myomectomy is the best treatment. This treatment method spares your uterus so you can still get pregnant after the procedure. Myomectomy can be completed through a single incision, or you may require a minimally invasive approach to get rid of the fibroids.
Your healthcare provider will assess your condition to determine if myomectomy is the most suitable procedure.
Some significant factors they will consider include:
- The location of fibroids in your uterus
- The size of your fibroids
- The number of fibroids you have
- Your age
- Your overall health
Treating uterine fibroids before pregnancy improves your fertility risk and helps you carry a pregnancy full-term.
Read more: Visible Hand Veins and Why You Have Them
Are Fibroids Considered High-Risk During Pregnancy?
The biggest complication of pregnancy with fibroids is pain. If fibroids develop during pregnancy, it can put the mother-to-be at risk for premature delivery, placental abruption, and fetal growth restrictions. In many cases, fibroids can lead to loss of pregnancy or miscarriage.
To prevent complications and risks during pregnancy, your doctor will advise you to have fibroids treated before getting pregnant. If fibroids are detected during pregnancy or your pregnancy is considered high risk because of fibroids, your doctor will work out a care plan to reduce the risks to you and the baby.
How Fibroids are Treated or Removed During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, treatment of fibroids is limited due to the threat to the fetus. Doctors recommend bed rest, hydration, and mild pain relievers to help expectant mothers manage symptoms.
You can have the fibroids removed either before you get pregnant or after the delivery of the baby. In rare cases, a myomectomy can be performed in the second half of pregnancy, if absolutely necessary to remove fibroids from the outside of the uterus or from within the uterine wall while leaving the uterus intact. Fibroids growing in the uterine cavity are generally not disturbed to safeguard the fetus.
Surgical options to remove fibroids after the baby is delivered include MRI-guided ultrasound surgery, minimally invasive endometrial ablation, and myomectomy.
Can You Have a Normal or Natural Delivery With Fibroids?
Most women with fibroids can have a natural birth. However, there is an increased risk of a C-section. Women with fibroids are six times more likely to have a C-section as compared to women without fibroids. Rarely, a large fibroid can block the opening of the uterus or keep the baby from passing into the birth canal. In such a case, the baby will be delivered by cesarean birth.
It has been observed that even a large fibroid moves out of the fetus’s way as the uterus expands during pregnancy.
Do Fibroids Go Away on Their Own After Pregnancy?
Fibroids often shrink after pregnancy. But for some women, they continue to cause frustrating symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding. It has been noticed that fibroids revert to their pre-pregnancy proportions after six months.
After delivery, whether vaginal or cesarean section, you will experience vaginal bleeding and discharge. It is how your body gets rid of the blood and tissue while the baby grew in the uterus. The bleeding is most intense a few days after delivery, but if this bleeding persists, call your doctor.
Having a baby is a big decision, and you must know the effects of fibroids during and post-pregnancy to understand how they can impact your period and health issues. Whether you are pregnant or have already given birth, knowing the effects of fibroids and how they affect your health is necessary to prevent complications. Dr. Sergei A. Sobolevsky helps to reduce the results of fibroids on your and the baby’s health and ensures you do not have to suffer painful symptoms or these tumors again. He recommends the best treatment options, including procedures that provide relief to ensure you live a better quality of life.
Sergei Sobolevsky, MD, is a leading specialist in endovascular medicine with experience in vascular and interventional radiology. Dr. Sobolevsky has decades of experience in the field, with over 25,000 procedures performed, accumulating extensive experience in image-guided minimally invasive medicine, diagnosing and treating a range of conditions.
Dr. Sobolevsky earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 1997 from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He received his specialty clinical training in vascular and interventional radiology at Harvard University. Later, he earned his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and named to the Top Doctors New York Metro Area in 2020, 2021, and 2022, Dr. Sobolevsky is licensed in multiple states, has delivered presentations at numerous institutions in the US and abroad, and now acts as a clinical advisor for the biomedical industry. He also held multiple positions in the field during his career, including Chief of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY, Senior Vice President in Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at Artann Laboratories in North Brunswick, NJ, and Medical Director at the American Endovascular and Amputation Prevention Center in Brooklyn.
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