Do uterine fibroids affect the fetus? This is the truth!

If a patient with uterine fibroids becomes pregnant, women must be careful and have a detailed examination to see the specific location of the fibroids, because if the placenta is located close to the fibroids, it may cause premature birth or even miscarriage.

1. If the placenta is too close to or directly covers the uterine fibroids, it is more likely to cause miscarriage, premature birth, early placental detachment, heavy postpartum bleeding, delayed delivery and low birth weight.

2. Larger uterine fibroids can easily cause malposition of the fetus and premature birth.

3. Myomas with stems may twist and cause abdominal pain in pregnant women, in which case laparotomy is required.

4. If the fibroids grow too fast and too large, insufficient blood supply will cause the fibroids to degenerate or necrotize. At this time, only conservative symptom treatment and tocolysis treatment can be used until the fetus matures. During childbirth, if a caesarean section is adopted, all fibroids will not be treated except for those with a stem.

Clinical manifestations of uterine fibroids:

1. Uterine bleeding

It is the most important symptom of uterine fibroids, occurring in more than half of the patients. Among them, cyclical bleeding is the most common, which can manifest as increased menstrual volume, prolonged menstrual period or shortened cycle. It may also present as irregular vaginal bleeding that is not related to the menstrual cycle. Uterine bleeding is more common with submucosal fibroids and intramural fibroids, while subserosal fibroids rarely cause uterine bleeding.

2. Abdominal mass and compression symptoms

The fibroids grow gradually, and when they cause the uterus to enlarge beyond the size of a 3-month pregnant uterus or become a larger subserosal fibroid located at the fundus of the uterus, a mass can often be felt in the abdomen, which is more obvious in the early morning when the bladder is full. The mass was solid, movable, and non-tender. When the fibroids grow to a certain size, they can cause compression symptoms of surrounding organs. Fibroids on the anterior wall of the uterus close to the bladder can cause frequent urination and urgency; giant cervical fibroids compressing the bladder can cause difficulty in urination or even urinary retention; fibroids on the posterior wall of the uterus, especially those in the isthmus or posterior lip of the cervix, can compress the rectum, causing difficulty in defecation and discomfort after defecation; giant broad ligament fibroids can compress the ureter and even cause hydronephrosis.

3. Pain

Generally speaking, uterine fibroids do not cause pain, but many patients may complain of a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen and pain in the waist and back. When the pedicle of subserosal fibroids is twisted or uterine fibroids undergo red degeneration, acute abdominal pain may occur. It is not uncommon for fibroids to be combined with endometriosis or adenomyosis, which may cause dysmenorrhea.