Fibroids, which can be seen in all women, can also occur during pregnancy. These fibroids, which generally do not have a negative effect on pregnancy, only cause problems if they grow.
In general, uterine fibroids are detected in 5 percent of expectant mothers. In most of these cases, fibroids do not affect pregnancy. However, when fibroids are large, they can cause some problems. At the beginning of these problems comes, miscarriage, early pregnancy bleeding, premature birth, placental location anomalies, early water brokage, early placental separation, and postpartum placental non-separation. Thirty percent of fibroids in expectant mothers grow during pregnancy. The most intense period of this growth is the first ten weeks of pregnancy.
In some cases, fibroids may continue to grow during the second and third stages of pregnancy. Sometimes, the amount of blood going to the fibroid is insufficient, and the fibroids, called “Degenerative Changes”, may be partially or completely gangrene. This condition, called “Red Degeneration”, often causes pain and tenderness. Apart from that, it can also result in premature birth. The most successful methods to stop the pain are bed rest and pain relievers. However, tocolytics (medicines that inhibit uterine contractions) may be needed to stop the contractions.
Fibroids can also cause insufficiency of labor contractions during birth, position disorders in the baby, and obstruction of the birth canal. In addition, cesarean delivery may be needed when fibroids located towards the large uterine canal or mouth are detected. Fibroids do not only cause problems during pregnancy; they may disrupt effective uterine contractions after delivery and cause bleeding.
If the fibroid is suitable in terms of location and size, it can be removed during a cesarean section. However, in some cases, fibroids can cause excessive bleeding during pregnancy when the uterus has too much blood. Therefore, fibroids are not always removed during cesarean section.
