Do fibroids prevent pregnancy?
In most cases, no: the majority of women with fibroids conceive naturally and carry healthy pregnancies. The impact depends largely on location; fibroids involving the uterine cavity (submucosal) affect conception and pregnancy most. If you are planning a pregnancy, assessment should place that plan at its centre.
Which fibroids affect fertility?
Fibroids that distort the uterine cavity — submucosal ones and intramural fibroids pushing into the cavity — can make embryo implantation harder. Subserosal fibroids on the outer surface generally have limited fertility impact. "Having a fibroid" only carries meaning together with a location map.
What do fibroids do during pregnancy?
Fibroids may grow somewhat under pregnancy hormones; most pregnancies progress without problems nonetheless. In some pregnancies fibroids contribute to pain episodes, to the baby’s position or to a higher likelihood of caesarean delivery — whether those risks apply to you is assessed within your obstetric care, based on your fibroids’ location.
Treatment choice when pregnancy is planned
This is the most individual decision area in fibroid care. For patients whose priority is pregnancy, surgery (myomectomy) is the established option; data on pregnancy outcomes after non-surgical methods are still maturing and deserve a frank discussion.
Pregnancy data after HIFU are conflicting: a 2024 meta-analysis found lower pregnancy and live-birth rates than after myomectomy, while a 2023 meta-analysis reported similar live-birth rates across methods.
This uncertainty is not a detail to hide — it is the centre of the decision conversation when pregnancy is planned.
Source: 2025 · Reproductive BioMedicine Online2023 · International Journal of Environmental Resea