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Fibroids: Pregnancy
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What causes fibroids to grow in the uterus is unknown. High estrogen levels seem to stimulate their growth. Thus, fibroids often grow larger during pregnancy and shrink after menopause. If fibroids grow too large, they may not be able to get enough blood. As a result, they begin to degenerate.
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Family history is a key factor, since there is often a history of fibroids developing in women of the same family. Race ... appears to play a role. Women of African descent are two to three times more likely to develop fibroids than women of other races. Pregnancy and taking oral contraceptives both decrease the likelihood that fibroids will develop. Fibroids have not been observed in girls who have not reached puberty, but adolescent girls may rarely develop fibroids.
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Uterine fibroids are very common non-cancerous (benign) growths that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus. They can range in size from very tiny (a quarter of an inch) to larger than a cantaloupe. Occasionally, they can cause the uterus to grow to the size of a five-month pregnancy. In most cases, there is more than one fibroid in the uterus. While fibroids do not always cause symptoms, their size and location can lead to problems for some women, including pain and heavy bleeding.
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A gynecologist usually can give you a pretty accurate approximation of the size of your fibroids. Because they are embedded in the wall of the uterus, as they grow, fibroids enlarge the entire uterus. Normally the uterus is the size of a pear. However, comparing fibroid size to the expansion of the uterus during pregnancy is much more precise. Thus you may have been told that your fibroids have enlarged your uterus to the size it would be if you were six to twelve weeks pregnant or more.
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Most fibroids do not get in the way of a pregnancy. They may cause discomfort, but they generally do not cause any other problems. Some fibroids in certain areas... can make conception difficult or lead to miscarriage. Fibroids may press against, or block the entrance to, the fallopian tubes, thus preventing the egg from reaching the uterus. Submucous fibroids that grow inwards into the womb are thought to cause recurrent miscarriage.
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Uterine fibroids can have a significant impact on quality of life. Many of the women in the Ontario study experienced pain and excessive bleeding that forced them to be housebound and to miss work for several days a month. For some women, they caused pain during intercourse and limited their ability to exercise. Those with an enlarged uterus, similar in size to a four-month pregnancy or greater, were embarrassed by looking pregnant.
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