There are many different factors that play their part in affecting your fertility levels and the ability to get pregnant. Fibroids is one such potential uterine factor affecting 20-50% of women of reproductive age suffering from uterine fibroids. They are more common in African-American women, as 50%-80% of women have uterine fibroids.
The exact cause of uterine fibroids is yet to know, but some experts say that they are caused due to a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. Often they run in families, i.e., Hereditary – If your mother had fibroids, then there is a chance you may also have Uterine Fibroids.
What Are Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are the muscular tumours develop in the muscle tissue of the uterus. Most of the fibroids are benign tumours (noncancerous), and very rarely, they turn out to be cancerous. They are also termed as myomas, leiomyomas, or fibromas. Fibroids are formed when a single muscle cell of the uterus wall multiplies and grows bigger in the form of a tumour. Fibroids vary in size and have the ability to change the shape or size of your uterus and cervix.
Usually, women can have one or more fibroid tumors. The treatment depends on the symptoms, location, size, and number. Fibroids are generally found on the walls of the uterus and sometimes in the cervix. They are classified into three main types based on where they found:
Subserosal Fibroids – developed in the outer wall of the uterus
Intramural Fibroids – formed in the muscular layers of the uterine walls
Submucosal Fibroids – developed inside the uterine cavity
Fibroids commonly develop during your child-bearing years, where the estrogen production is higher. Most fibroids are slow-growing and are not complicated, except in some minor cases.
Read: An Overview Of Fibroids
Can Fibroids Affect Your Fertility?
Studies say that about 5-10% of women with fibroids are infertile, and it is the size and location of the fibroid that often affects the fertility levels of a woman. Fibroids greater than 6 cm in diameter and located inside your uterine cavity is an example situation how fibroids affect your ability to conceive.
Studies suggest that submucosal fibroids protrude into your uterus, and they are the most common fibroids that affect your fertility. There are exemptions, where large subserosal fibroids block the fallopian tubes from opening into the uterus.
Not all women with fibroids are Infertile. Many women are conceiving and delivering a healthy baby even with fibroids. It is just the time gap of treatment. However, a woman and her partner need to know if there are any other factors involving before treating fibroids. Contact our fertility specialist in Hyderabad; we can evaluate whether fibroids or any other factors that causing Infertility and suggest appropriate treatment.
How Does Fibroids Cause Infertility?
- Larger fibroids can change your cervix’s shape and affect the quantity of sperm entering into the uterus.
- Some fibroids block the fallopian tubes and make it difficult or impossible to implant a fertilized egg.
- Fibroids can change the shape of your uterus and alters the movement of the sperm or embryo.
- Fibroids can affect the thickness of uterine walls
- They can alter the blood flow to the uterine cavity, which in return, decreases the ability of an egg to implant on the walls of the uterine.
Most women with fibroids might not experience any symptoms; just “watchful waiting, is what most doctors suggest — in medical terms, keeping an eye on them.
What Happens To A Pregnant Woman With Fibroids?
Fibroids are diagnosed in 2% to 12% of women carrying a pregnancy. However, all fibroids don’t grow larger nor cause problems during pregnancy. Fibroid generally grows in the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy.
The biggest concern in pregnant women with fibroid is whether they increase preterm birth and miscarriage chances. Fibroids outgrow the blood supply in some cases, causing severe pain, and also, they can change the position of the baby in the uterus. In such cases, there is an increased risk for miscarriages, early delivery, and c-section. How they are managed depends on the situation and the doctor’s experience in handling them.
Uterine fibroids can affect the fertility of a woman in many ways. They can influence the meeting of sperm and egg; they can prevent embryo implantation; they can affect pregnancy, growth of the fetus, and positioning of the baby. However, early diagnosis and treatment can solve most of the fertility problems associated with fibroids. For more information, contact our fertility experts in Hyderabad, at Angels Fertility Clinic. A single consultation can clear all your doubts related to Infertility.