Answer:
If you
do need fibroid surgery, typically you should wait six to 12 months
afterward before attempting to conceive.
This
gives the uterus time to heal to the fullest extent possible.
That
timeframe is based on studies related to uterine healing after Caesarian
section and discussions with infertility experts.
Few studies
have looked at fibroid surgeries and subsequent pregnancy.
Besides
that, it's hard to pool the data because women's cases vary so much.
Uterine
fibroids can grow singly or in clusters.
They
can range from as small as an orange seed to bigger than a grapefruit.
They
are nearly always non-cancerous.
And
they appear in three basic areas: the outer surface of the uterus;
the inner surface of the uterus; within the uterine muscle - or any
combination.
Fibroids
that penetrate the layers of uterine muscle pose the greatest concern
in terms of a future pregnancy, because removing them involves the
biggest impact on the uterus.
"Pedunculated"
fibroids - tumors that hang loose on a stalk, either on the inner
or outer surface of the uterus - may not disturb your plans for motherhood
one bit.
If your
surgeon just needs to shave off a couple of these fibroids, you are
at no increased risk for a complicated pregnancy or delivery.
The most
important question to ask is do the fibroids need to be treated at
all?
The
vast majorities of fibroids, grow as a woman gets older, and tend
to shrink after menopause.
Obviously
fibroids that are causing significant symptoms need treatment.
While it is often easier to treat smaller fibroids than larger ones,
most of the small ones never will need to be treated.
So just
because we can treat fibroids while they are small, it doesn't follow
that we should treat them. And many women have successful pregnancies
without removing the fibroids as long as they are not inside the uterine
cavity.
The
location of the fibroids plays a strong influence on how to approach
them.
