What are the symptoms and causes of having a large uterine fibroid during pregnancy?

Uterine fibroids are a common benign tumor in women. Uterine fibroids can be large or small. However, if you are pregnant with uterine fibroids, it will have a great impact on the pregnant woman. So, do you know what symptoms you will have if you are pregnant with a large uterine fibroid? What are the causes?

After pregnancy, due to changes in hormone levels, a series of adaptive changes occur in various body systems, including edema of uterine fibroids, hypertrophy of uterine smooth muscle cells, and significant enlargement of fibroids.

During pregnancy, uterine fibroids grow rapidly. Due to the rapid change in volume, the blood vessels of the pseudocapsule are prone to rupture, and bleeding diffuses in the tissue. At this time, the fibroids appear dark red, like half-cooked roast beef, with a fishy smell and soft texture. This is called red degeneration of uterine fibroids. Patients often experience severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. B-ultrasound imaging shows that uterine fibroids grow rapidly, and routine blood tests often show an increase in white blood cell counts. After diagnosis, conservative treatment is generally used without surgery.

The exact cause of uterine fibroids complicated by pregnancy is still unclear. Since it is more common in women of childbearing age, and fibroids stop growing after menopause, and may even shrink and disappear, it suggests that the occurrence of uterine fibroids may be related to female hormones.

Androgens can cause the proliferation and hypertrophy of uterine muscle cells, thickening of the muscle layer, and enlargement of the uterus. Female hormones act through corresponding hormone receptors. The content of estrogen receptors in uterine muscle tissue varies with different estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle. The content of estrogen receptors and estradiol in uterine fibroid tissue is higher than that in normal uterine muscle tissue.

However, the content of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase is low, so the amount of estradiol converted to estrone is small. During pregnancy, placental lactogen promotes the effect of estradiol on fibroids, so the growth of uterine fibroids is accelerated. At the same time, ovarian function and hormone metabolism are regulated by higher nerve centers, so the activity of nerve centers may also play an important role in the onset of fibroids.