What to do if you are pregnant with uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids can coexist with pregnancy, and the incidence rate is about 0.5% to 1% of patients with uterine fibroids, and about 0.3% to 0.5% of pregnant people. However, because fibroids are small and have no symptoms, they are easily overlooked during pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, the actual incidence rate of uterine fibroids combined with pregnancy is much higher than the above figures.

Generally speaking, regardless of the size or location of uterine fibroids during pregnancy, if it does not affect pregnancy, palliative treatment should be used first and surgery should be avoided as much as possible. However, if subserosal fibroids are twisted, fibroids compress adjacent organs and cause severe symptoms, or fibroids are too large or incarcerated to affect continued pregnancy, surgical treatment should be considered.

During delivery, if the diameter of the uterine fibroids is less than 5-6 cm and there are no symptoms, especially if the fibroids are located in the body of the uterus, most patients can have a smooth vaginal delivery, but it is important to pay attention to the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage. If the doctor assesses that delivery is difficult, a cesarean section may be considered. During the operation, the doctor will perform a myomectomy or a hysterectomy based on the size, location, number of the fibroids, the patient's age, and whether she needs to have another child.