Will uterine fibroids shrink after pregnancy?

The uterus is the cradle of life, but it is fragile and easy to get sick. A little carelessness may lead to various gynecological diseases, including uterine fibroids. Many pregnant women are worried about uterine fibroids and hope that the fibroids will shrink. So, will uterine fibroids shrink after pregnancy?

The following mini-series will briefly describe uterine fibroids:

Uterine fibroids refer to fibroids on the female uterus, also known as uterine leiomyoma, which is the most common benign tumor in the female reproductive organs. Generally speaking, it is common in young and middle-aged women.

Uterine fibroids can be clinically divided into the following three types according to the location of their growth: intramural fibroids are located in the myometrium and are the most common; fibroids grow into the uterine serosa and protrude from the surface of the uterus, which are called subserosal fibroids; fibroids grow into the mucosal layer and protrude into the uterine cavity, which are called submucosal fibroids.

It is currently believed that the transformation process from myometrial cells to fibroids may involve a complex interaction between somatic mutations of normal myometrium, sex hormones, and local growth factors. Sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and many peptide growth factors, are considered to be regulators of fibroid growth and play an important role in the etiology of fibroids.

Animal experiments and clinical practice have also proved that the formation and growth of uterine fibroids are closely related to women's estrogen levels. Women's estrogen levels increase during pregnancy, so uterine fibroids will grow rapidly, but after pregnancy, as estrogen levels decrease, the fibroids will naturally shrink.

Uterine fibroids will only decrease when estrogen levels drop. Patients are advised to seek help from professional doctors and actively treat uterine fibroids in time if they have them during pregnancy, so as not to affect the fetal abdomen!