How Does Fibroids Lead To Infertility?

Fibroids are smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. They grow from the muscle cells of the uterus and are also called uterine leiomyomas, or myomas.

Fibroids are benign and are most commonly found in young women.

Uterine fibroids can cause infertility, but not in every woman. But, they can affect your fertility to a great extent.

Generally uterine fibroids are of three types, such as:

Subserosal fibroids: They develop on the outer lining of your uterus. They are less symptomatic or asymptomatic unless they become severe. They give your uterus a bumpy look.

These tumors can cause pelvic pain, cramping, frequent urination and back pain. If they become large enough, they can affect your kidneys and other surrounding organs.

These fibroids won’t cause any infertility issues, but when they become large; they can put pressure on your ovaries, fallopian tubes and inhibit their function.

Intramural fibroids: They develop in the muscles of your uterus. They grow in round shape and greatly vary in sizes from microscopic to massive. These fibroids cause your uterus to become enlarge.

Some of the symptoms of intramural fibroids include: cramping, menstrual bleeding, prolonged periods, back pain and pelvic pain. These fibroids won’t cause any noticeable symptoms. They can only be discovered while performing vaginal examination or during any infertility treatment.

These fibroids can cause problems when you are trying to conceive. Also, they are problematic during implantation and lead to miscarriage.

Submucous fibroids: These are very much linked with fertility. They develop inside of your uterus. They interfere with uterine lining development and placement, which can lead to miscarriage and problems while implantation.

These fibroids cause excessive bleeding and painful periods. They develop as a stack and can project from the stack into the uterus. If these tumors become large, your uterus may identify them as foreign substance and contract to eject it. If this is the case, you will experience severe pain like labor pains.

Fibroids can be recognized during regular checkup, but this is not always the case. Commonly, they are found during surgery or ultrasound scan. Severe fibroids require treatment or surgery for fibroid removal.

One of the surgical procedures is myomectomy, in which fibroids are removed one by one. This is the most common treatment for women who want to conceive. Before going to decide, talk with your infertility specialist about what treatments are suitable for you.