Planning for Pregnancy When You Have Fibroids

Center for the Advanced Treatment and Research (CATeR) of Uterine Fibroids

'Miracle Baby' Delivered After Fibroid Surgery: Neangela's Myomectomy Story

Video Transcript

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I was diagnosed with fibroids, and really had some aggressive fibroids. I found out that several of them were extremely large. I had quite a few of them that were in my uterus. So it was really a sad time for me. I was young. I wanted to have children in the future. I was nowhere near that point in my life, like in the relationship, or ready to have children. So it was just kind of disappointing to know that there would be something that might be a stumbling block for that dream to happen.

Neangela came to me thinking that she was going to have to have a hysterectomy. And she had never had children. I offered her opportunities to preserve her uterus by doing a robotic myomectomy in order to take out the large fibroids and still maintain her fertility.
I feel great. I feel like I have my miracle baby, you know? This was a baby that everybody else thought that I wanted to have. But I feel like I have a bond with Dr. Snow, because this is the baby that we hoped for, and that she had confidence that I would be able to have.

In minimally invasive surgery, I performed the procedure through tiny incisions. This allows a patient to get back to their normal activities much more quickly and with much less pain.

Coming to an appointment and feeling like, you know what? She's going to take care of me, and hope's still alive.

Each patient is an individual. I look at each situation and determine what medical treatment is going to be right for that patient. Sometimes, it's surgery. Sometimes, it's medication. I'm able to talk to that patient about exactly what's going to be right for them. Seeing Neangela fulfill her dreams reminds me of why I'm a doctor.

Whether you’re pregnant, trying to conceive or hope to become pregnant in the future, we can help you manage your fibroid symptoms while achieving your family goals.

At the Center for the Advanced Treatment and Research (CATeR) of Uterine Fibroids, our gynecologists will work with other University of Chicago Medicine experts, including reproductive endocrinologists (fertility specialists) and maternal-fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy) specialists, to design a treatment plan that supports your goals for your family.

Fertility-Sparing Fibroid Surgery: Myomectomy

If you have been told that you need a hysterectomy because of the size, number or location of your fibroids, you may have more options than you think. At the CATeR Fibroid Center, we specialize in fibroid treatments that allow you to keep your uterus and maintain your fertility.

We offer myomectomy , a minimally invasive procedure that preserves the uterus. It requires four to five incisions, each tiny enough to be covered by a small bandage. Most patients go home the same day and can resume their normal activities within two weeks or less.

Pregnancy After Myomectomy

Depending on the location of the fibroid(s), a myomectomy can affect the muscular layer of the uterus that induces labor. This may raise the risks for uterine rupture during pregnancy. For this reason, after myomectomy, some patients who choose to become pregnant may need to have a C-section. However, some patients may be able to have a vaginal delivery. Your future pregnancy and delivery goals should be discussed with your doctor prior to surgery.

Regardless of the recommendations for delivery in the future, we advise our patients to avoid pregnancy for the first three months following their procedure to allow complete healing of the uterus and to decrease the risk of uterine rupture.

Managing Fibroid Symptoms During Pregnancy

Many patients with fibroids have safe and healthy pregnancies. But if fibroids grow during pregnancy, you may have a higher risk for premature delivery or pregnancy loss.

Although limited treatments are available during pregnancy, we work alongside maternal-fetal medicine specialists at the Family Birth Center to monitor and manage your fibroid symptoms to help reduce the risk of complications for you and your baby.

After you deliver your baby, we can develop a plan to safely remove your fibroids and ease your symptoms.

Fertility Preservation Before Fibroid Treatment

A myomectomy is the only fertility-sparing treatment for fibroids. If you think you might want to become pregnant in the future, you may want to pursue fertility preservation, which may include egg or embryo freezing, before your myomectomy.

At the CATeR Fibroid Center, our gynecologic surgeons work closely with fertility specialists at the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility to develop a plan that meets your reproductive goals.