PCOS and fibroids (x-posted in TTC)

[Kharen]

Hi, ladies--

A good friend of mine who has PCOS was just diagnosed with a large fibroid (via ultrasound) today, and she's worried about how this situation will further complicate her chances of conceiving.

She'll be having an MRI done next week to determine the size and location of the fibroid, but her doctor is strongly suggesting surgery even before seeing the MRI results.

Has anyone with PCOS also dealt with fibroids? If so, have you undergone surgery to remove them? Were you able to conceive afterwards? My friend's doctor indicated that there would likely be a window of opportunity following the surgery that would give her the most opportunity to conceive before scar tissue started to become a problem. Does this information sound correct?

Thanks for any help or resources you can point me to!
K

[MOMGOTSPUNK]

I do not have PCOS. I do have a medium-sized fibriod. You can get pregnant with a fibroid. She may want to get a second opinion, because from the research that I did it sounded like it is easier to get pregnant with a fibroid than with the scar tissue that you get from the removal surgery. I was also told to have mine removed, but it may be different with the other things that she has going on. My strongest suggestion is to get a second opinion from a doctor that has dealt with this before.

[Kharen]

Thanks very much for your response! I will let her know.

Congrats on your pregnancy!

[Pookietooth]

I know someone who had fibroids removed, and got pregnant the next month. She didn't have PCOS, though.

[Kharen]

Thanks for your reply, Jen. I will share that with her. She needs to hear that there are success stories out there!

[lawgrrl]

In early 2000, after suffering unbelievable abdominal pain for months, I was finally diagnosed with several very large fibroids. I consulted five different OB/GYNs and fertility specialists as to the best way to proceed. All the doctors agreed that I was 100% infertile at that point and all suggested surgery, although the plans for surgery differed.

I had a myomectomy via laparotomy -- which means that the surgeon made an incision in my abdomen (as for a cesarean) and then removed the fibroid tumors, which were just enormous. There were three that were each the size of lemons, all kind of grown together, plus a few other smaller fibroids.

I recovered from the surgery and was told that I had a very slim chance of conceiving without *help* from a fertility specialist because of the extent of the surgery. However, without even officially TTC, I became pregnant just six months after my surgery!

I also have another friend who had a similarly severe case of fibroids and the same surgery and she was also able to conceive!

[kittywitty]

I had a similar experience. I have cysts on my ovaries occasionally.

About 7 years ago, I was finally diagnosed with my fibroid. It grew very fast. I had it removed via lapy& myomectomy. It was as large as a large navel orange. I have a huge scar.

They told me it was so extensive and my scarring would be so bad, that I would never be able to carry a child. I got pregnant 3 weeks later.

She is now my miracle baby, age 6, and I have a 5 and 2.5 yo, too.

Tell her to have hope. Get a second opinion, check out leading docs/researchers in the field, look at new therapies. My doctor was one of the leading gynecological surgeons in the US (Luckily my insurance covered him) and he did a new technique on me. The technique he used on me is now common.

It was a hard recovery, but worth it. PM me if you want his name, but I can't guarantee he's still practicing.

Funnily enough, he was the same doctor that fixed my mother's severely damaged uterus and tubes after a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. She had 3 kids after that, too (my younger brothers).

Have hope!