What You Don’t Know About Degenerating Fibroids During Pregnancy

(Last Updated On: )

I was on my way to church, when I started suddenly getting an extremely intense amount of pain in my abdomen.  A wave of panic washed over me as I carefully managed to drive to church and park my car.

Walking into the church was not happening.  I tried to get out of the car and walk but the pain was so intense, I could not even walk.  I called my Husband, and my Mom.  My Hubby was in the middle of a service (he’s a musician), so my Mom and Dad came and got me from church and took me to the ER.  (Hubby ended up meeting me at the hospital right after his service.)

While I waited for my Mom to get to the church, an awesome prayer warrior of a woman from my church got in my car and prayed for and with me.  I was 25 weeks into my pregnancy, nearing the end of my second trimester.  I had no idea what was happening, but I tried to just pray and trust that God was in control and was covering my baby.

How I Discovered My Fibroids Were Degenerating

Once we got to the ER, they wheeled me in in a wheelchair, and took me to Triage.  They hooked me and baby up to a monitor to check his heartbeat.  Thankfully his heartbeat was normal and never waivered throughout this entire process.  I on the other hand, was in a tremendous amount of pain.

The Doctor did an ultrasound in order to see what was happening.  She did see the fibroids as well as my baby.  I don’t remember if she could literally see the fibroids degenerating.  However from the location of the pain, she could see it was where the fibroids were.  So she concluded over the course of my time there that it was probably my fibroids degenerating, or dying off.

Before pregnancy I knew I had at least 2 fibroids the size of small grapes.  But by 19 weeks into my pregnancy my OB/GYN discovered on my ultrasound that I had 3 fibroids, and two of them were the size of melons. Yes, melons!

They gave me morphine through an IV, but it didn’t give me any relief at all.  I mean I was in so much pain I couldn’t even speak.  What ended up helping the most was Indomethacin (Indocin).  Indocin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and it’s safe to take until 28 weeks pregnant.

After a few hours, once it seemed that my pain had gone down and I could talk. They sent me home with the Indocin to take for 48 hours, and after I finished it I had no more pain, I was fine.

Until Wednesday of that week when I was on my way to conduct a drum audition at church.

Second Degenerating Fibroid Episode

I had another of the same episode, with the exact same amount of pain.  I actually thought it was just gas pain at first, but then it kept intensifying and I knew it was the same pain I had before.  Hubby took me to the ER again to see what was happening.

The Doctor said it was probably 2 of the fibroids degenerating again because of the location of the pain.  I had one fibroid behind my uterus, and one on the top right of it.  They gave me Indocin right from the start this time instead of the morphine which helped pretty quickly.  They sent me home with more Indocin to take for 48 hours and also Tylenol 3 with codeine (which I didn’t really take).

I took the Indocin and rested as much as I could, and all was well for the remainder of my pregnancy, thank God!!!

I was really nervous about taking meds while pregnant, but the Doctor’s assured me it was okay and that it wouldn’t harm the baby.

Through all this the baby continued to actively move which I was so thankful for.  And I can attest to the fact that the Indocin had no effects on my baby.  He’s healthy, happy and growing.

What are fibroids?

I’m not a medical professional but I can tell you in super layman’s terms.  Fibroids are actually very common, many women have them these days. Fibroids are abnormal growths that can form in the uterus. For some women they can become pretty large and cause extreme abdominal pain and heavy periods.  In my case I never had symptoms.  There is no known cause for fibroids.

So what happens when fibroids degenerate in pregnancy?

When this happened to me I scoured the internet trying to find information on this and really couldn’t find many personal experiences.  Just some medical documentation and a few forum posts from years ago.

I’ll try to explain it how my Doctor said it to me.  Fibroids degenerate, or die when they no longer have access to what’s keeping them alive.  They’re no longer getting the same blood supply, nutrients and oxygen they were getting because your growing baby is using it up (remember they generally form on or inside the uterus).  Your baby needs the blood, oxygen and food to grow!

The fibroids were growing right along with my baby!  But there came a point where my baby was fighting harder for that blood and those nutrients, so the fibroids had to go without.  Which caused them to begin to die.  This is what caused all the pain I was having.  If you want more in depth info in medical terms, check out this article here.

I thank God my bubs survived all that, and boy was I a praying Momma.  He was a fighter in my womb, and he fought through.  I’m so, so thankful.

Disclaimer: I’m not a Doctor, just a new Momma wanting to help other new Mommas.  Please don’t replace this with real medical advice from your Doctor.

How to Relieve Degenerating Fibroid Symptoms

Go to the Emergency Room

If you believe you’re experiencing this or you have any type of excruciating pain, the best thing to do is go to the ER so they can treat you.  They’ll put you and baby on a monitor and see what’s happening.  The best place to be is under the care of physicians who are experienced and know exactly what to do.

Rest

Rest.  Rest, rest, and more rest.  Rest as much as you possibly can once you get home to give your body time to heal and recuperate. Drink Tea, drink water, take a nap, watch a series on Netflix, do the best you can to do nothing for a while.

Ask Your Doctor for the Best Pain Relief Options

You Doctor will provide the best options for pain relief possible, as they are aware of what’s best for baby at specific times in your pregnancy.  You want to make sure nothing you take will harm baby in any way.  I was concerned about taking meds while pregnant, but I knew I was in great hands.

No Heating Pads

I just want to note this because you will be tempted, oh boy will you be tempted.  But do not use heating pads on your abdomen, it is NOT safe for baby.  If your doctor approves, you can use one on your back for back pain, but definitely not on your tummy.

Other Things About Fibroids

Fibroid Removal

Some women have told me Doctors can remove your fibroids during a c-section.  My Doctor informed me that it could cause too much bleeding so she doesn’t recommend it.  Ask your Doctor about this if this is something you’re wondering about.

You can definitely have them removed after pregnancy though if this is something you’re interested in doing.  Technology has advanced these days so there are non-invasive ways to do this now.  If this is something you want to do, definitely check into it.

Fibroid Prevention and Elimination

According to my research, fibroids can be prevented or will shrink if you eliminate sugar and animal products from your diet, and live a healthy lifestyle.  The reason is because fibroids thrive off of sugar and hormones.

Animal products carry hormones that can disrupt the hormones in your body, which then can affect the systems of your body.  This is one of the reasons lots of women go vegan.

I say you have to do what’s best for you.  Take things one day at a time.  If you think you have to ability to eliminate all sugar from your diet, and all animal products, as long as your Doctor approves, go for it!  Personally I have not achieved this, but I’m working on improving my diet.  Check out this interesting article here on Shrinking Fibroids.

I hope this helps you and gives you some answers to questions you may have about this.  I hope you have an  amazing pregnancy, and an awesome day today, and every day!