u/estheracheli

I wanted to share my story because when I was pregnant and spiraling through Reddit looking for hopeful outcomes with giant fibroids, they felt impossible to find.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, my fibroid was around 9 cm. By the third trimester, it had grown to about 16–17 cm. It was located on the outside of my uterus and significantly distorted my anatomy as pregnancy progressed. I was followed very closely by MFM the entire pregnancy and was considered extremely high risk.

The fibroid pain in the third trimester was honestly brutal at times. I ended up in the hospital/L&D once because the pain became so intense and scary. There were moments I genuinely did not know how I was going to get through the rest of the pregnancy physically or mentally. I worried constantly about degeneration, preterm labor, blood loss, baby growth restriction, delivery complications, needing a hysterectomy, future fertility… all of it.

But despite the fibroid’s size, my baby grew perfectly the entire pregnancy. No IUGR, no growth restriction. She stayed healthy and continued measuring well throughout.

I ultimately delivered my rainbow baby via a very complex planned C-section with an experienced surgical team. Because of the fibroid’s size and placement, the surgery required a lot of strategy and adaptation. My anatomy was extremely distorted by the fibroid, but they were still able to safely deliver my daughter. I did not need a hysterectomy, and my incision healed remarkably well considering how complicated the surgery was.

Recovery was definitely not easy, especially emotionally after such a high-stress pregnancy, but it was manageable. I’m now around 3 months postpartum, exclusively breastfeeding, and interestingly the fibroid still has not shrunk much at all. I had heard so many stories about fibroids shrinking dramatically postpartum or while breastfeeding, and that just hasn’t been my experience so far.

Some things I learned:
• Giant fibroids can absolutely complicate pregnancy, but they do not automatically mean disaster.
• The experience can be incredibly mentally taxing. I spent so much time searching Reddit convinced I’d only find horror stories.
• Having an experienced MFM and surgical team matters more than I can possibly explain.
• Fibroids can grow A LOT during pregnancy, even when doctors initially think they may stay stable.
• Pain from fibroids in pregnancy can be severe and very real.
• A giant fibroid does not automatically mean your baby will have growth issues.

I know every fibroid and every pregnancy is different, but I remember desperately wanting to hear from someone who actually made it through pregnancy and delivery with a fibroid this large and came out the other side okay.

So if you’re doom scrolling at 2am terrified like I was: there are positive outcomes too.