Geek’s 2007 SIR Abstract Report 3: Pregnancy after MRgFUS for Uterine Fibroids – First Experiences

This is the third installment of my geeky science series on the abstracts and posters presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 32nd annual Scientific Meeting held March 1 – March 6, 2007.

Pregnancy after MRgFUS for Uterine Fibroids: First Experiences

Trying for pregnancy (ttc) after your fibroid procedure (Abdominal Myomectomy)?

Received an email message from Gwyn who wanted a forum about trying to conceive after an Abdominal Myomectomy. Thanks for the suggestion!

Fibroid free left a detailed comment (one of her “novelettes”) in the “fertility and fibroids” forum a few months ago. Here is an excerpt:

fibroid free: Started with a new GYN – explained my symptons and she said sounds like fibroids and ordered an MRI and recommended me to a OB/GYN RE. Never even thought about a RE (GYN who specializes in Reproductive Endocrinology otherwise know a Fertility Doctor) but ended up to be the best choice of doctor. Went to see her and poured out my want to still have children. She told me about the AM and we scheduled surgery onyl to have her call me and admit she did not have the skill level needed to assure removal of fibroids without a hysto and could not guarentee fertility ( no doctor can guarentee but she was not the one to do the surgery) .. SHE refered me to the FERTILITY DOCTOR. Sigh I thought at first….never expected to be in this position…… and so we set up an appointment.

Is anyone having problems with uterine fibroid pain during pregnancy?

One of my visitors here is having a problem with extreme pain from her fibroids during her pregnancy.

Anna: Are there any women out there who can tell me how to endure pregnancy fibroid pain?

I’m 7.5+ months pregnant with at least 8 fibroids, 3 of which are just over 5.7 cm each and growing. They were all discovered when I became pregnant. Most of them don’t bother me but two are crammed down at the bottom of my uterus just over the birth canal. The pain from those two is so bad I haven’t slept more than 3.5 hours in weeks.

The Dr. says I am experiencing ‘degridation’ as the fibroids grow which sends a chemical into the body causing this unbelievable, constant pain. For the pain, I take frequent warmish baths, stay in bed and take Tylenol which does very little (if anything) but I’m told that Tylenol is the only pain killer that’s safe for the baby.

First – Have any of you experienced this kind of extreme pain during pregnancy?
Second – What can I do about it ?

I’m sure I’ll survive this … women are tough. But, I’d like to be able to get out of bed and enjoy a little bit of sunshine in the next two months. Heck, just having a short break from the horrible pain would be a blessing. Frankly … at this moment 8 hours of labor sounds like a cakewalk compared to months of this. =)

Your input is quite welcome.

If you have an experience or thoughts to share about uterine fibroid pain and pregnancy, please leave a comment.

Is anyone having fertility issues because of uterine fibroid tumors?

After seeing some discussion on this site about uterine fibroids and fertility, I wanted to create a separate thread. Viewed a PBS program Monday on the history of IVF research in the United States so this post is quite timely. I’ll post a few links you can visit for more information and then open the discussion.

From MayoClinic.com:

Fibroids usually don’t interfere with conception and pregnancy, but they can occasionally affect fertility. They may distort or block your fallopian tubes, or interfere with the passage of sperm from your cervix to your fallopian tubes.

For more information:
Hysterosalpingography (Wikipedia)
Fertility Tests (Mayo Clinic)
In vitro fertilization (Jones Institute)
Reproductive Endocrinology (Wikipedia)

Ladies, talk to me about an RE, an HSG, IVF, and any other letters of the alphabet that come to mind. If you have an experience, thoughts, or questions on uterine fibroids and fertility, please post a comment.

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Related Posts:
PBS American Experience – Test Tube Babies (story of IVF research in the US)
How are you feeling after your Abdominal Myomectomy?

PBS American Experience – Test Tube Babies (story of IVF research in the US)

Watched another great PBS show a couple of nights ago. I heard about it last week and kept walking around the house, audibly reminding myself to view it. The broadcast was a documentary on the history of in vitro fertilization (IVF) research in the United States. I was fascinated by the story behind the technique. At least a couple of my visitors here have mentioned IVF. I’ll write a little about the television program and then get busy creating a post about uterine fibroids and fertility issues.

OR-Live brings fibroid surgery video to your computer via medical webcasts

Thinking about a procedure but you want to learn a little more? Well, welcome to the world of almost too much information. OR-Live allows you to view a myriad of moderated surgical videos. Archived broadcasts are categorized by specialty (in case you want to see non-fibroid stuff). Plan ahead and you can even catch a video live.

I used this site as part of my medical decision process. After seeing the Uterine Fibroid Embolization broadcast several months ago, I knew I had to have it. Glad I viewed the UFE previously since I remember nothing from my actual procedure. 🙂

Here’s the list:

Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Robotic Myomectomy Enables Treatment of Uterine Fibroids While Preserving Fertility

[Abdominal Myomectomy – A Treatment for the Removal of Fibroids]

da Vinci® Minimally Invasive Robotic Hysterectomy (view live on September 20, 2006; visit the site and sign up for an email reminder)

Advanced Technique for Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy

Laparoscopic Supracervical Hysterectomy

OK. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

[Edited to add Abdominal Myomectomy video link. Thanks Val!]

Get your fibroids on the dance floor and do the robot

Glanced over some news feeds yesterday and noticed this headline under Yahoo! News | Uterine Fibroids:

Robot-assisted surgery removes fibroids but preserves women’s fertility

You know I love robots and other gizmos (because I’m a geek) so I had to click the link. The story revolves around Anna Crowder who needed a fibroid removed but still wanted to have a child.