Sunday, February 20, 2005

To someone who is wondering whether or not to have a myo

Lots of women get pg with fibroids in place, it is an elective procedure however so in part you get to decide when it is right for you. Some considerations I've noted about when it is a good time to have fibroid surgery:

  • you feel like you have exhausted all other possible treatment options
  • you are feeling pain and discomfort, even some of the time. This can include back pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, etc.
  • you are having bleeding problems (really heavy periods, or periods that don't seem to stop -- this can lead to problems with anemia which can impair fertility and put you at risk for other health problems such as clotting)
  • you have had trouble conceiving or have had miscarriage/s
  • you are wanting to try hormonal fertility treatments and your fibroids are already a good size
  • you are having difficulty urinating or are having to pee all the time or you are developing urinary tract infections
  • you can't stand the thought of having fibroids inside of you and want to get rid of them
  • you fibroids are compromising the interior space of the uterus

Since you are already dealing with TTC with one tube I can see that it doesn't feel like a straight shot decision for you at all. There is a risk of adhesions after any abdominal surgery, but whether or not these will cause problems is another question.

The surgery is a big deal in that it can be quite invasive and most of us haven't had that much physical trauma before. It is also one that you will recover from quickly. An abdominal myo is very similar to a c-section and loads of women have those operations every day.

Have you read What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibroids yet? It is a super book that really helped me to feel empowered about my body and my fibroids. It describes in detail about the various procedure options and includes info about fertility success rates post-op.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all of the information you've compiled. I'm 32 weeks pregnant with my fourth child and have a 16cm fibroid. 3rd child was delivered via c-section and I'm trying to decide whether to try a VBAC. My ob/gyn is discouraging me, but my recovery from my c-section was so long and painful compared to the vaginal births. I go back and forth everyday, but now is the time to make the decision. Any advice?

agness said...

I guess what you want to factor in are:

Where is your fibroid located and how might it impact labor?

How long has it been since your last delivery?

How old are you?

Was the fibroid there for any of your prior deliveries?


16cm is a large fibroid but it is highly unlikely your doctor would treat it during your c-section. I'm also unaware of any studies showing the effectiveness of labor with large fibroids.

With mine first fibroid being intramural, but close to the lining after it grew during pregnancy, my body had a hard time during my first miscarriage at getting rid of the retained tissue left after my d&c -- even though I wen through labor on my own several days after that procedure. Lots of women deliver vaginally with fibroids.

Why do you think your doctor is concerned?