Do uterine fibroids affect pregnancy? Can uterine fibroids cause infertility?

In recent years, due to the high incidence of uterine fibroids, the treatment of uterine fibroids has attracted widespread attention. So, does uterine fibroids affect pregnancy?

Generally speaking, uterine fibroids refer to common benign tumors in the female reproductive organs.

According to the different growth locations, they can be divided into subserosal fibroids, intramural fibroids, submucosal fibroids or cervical fibroids, broad ligament fibroids, etc. Different types of uterine fibroids can present clinical manifestations such as menorrhagia, lower abdominal mass or dysuria.

Uterine fibroids have a certain impact on pregnancy. Uterine fibroids have adverse effects on all stages of pregnancy, mainly manifested in the following aspects:

1. Infertility: It is not a common clinical manifestation of patients with uterine fibroids, and the incidence rate is about 20%-30%. The main reason is that uterine fibroids can change the morphology or function of reproductive organs, which is not conducive to fertilization and implantation and development of fertilized eggs.

2. Miscarriage and premature birth: The presence of uterine fibroids in early pregnancy is not conducive to the implantation and growth of the fertilized egg. The incidence of spontaneous abortion can also reach 20%-30%, which is 2-3 times that of non-fibroid pregnant women. It is a common complication. Moreover, miscarriage often manifests as incomplete miscarriage, leading to excessive bleeding.

3. Increased proportion of abnormal placental and fetal positions: Large uterine fibroids, especially large intramural fibroids or submucosal fibroids, may hinder the normal movement of the fetus in the uterus, leading to abnormal fetal positions and increasing the incidence of horizontal and breech positions.

4. Premature rupture of membranes: If the fibroids hinder the connection of the fetal presenting part or affect the development of the fetal membranes, it may lead to premature rupture of membranes.

5. Antepartum hemorrhage: Fibroids are located behind the placenta, and the incidence of antepartum hemorrhage is high. In addition, it is also related to placental abnormalities and premature birth, such as placenta previa and placental abruption.

6. Myomatous pain syndrome during pregnancy: The most common complication of uterine fibroids during pregnancy is myomatous pain syndrome during pregnancy, including red degeneration, aseptic necrosis, malignant changes and hemorrhagic infarction.