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Angela Onwuzoo
An Associate Professor and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu State, Dr. Uche Agu, has debunked the claim that women who have fibroid and go for surgery won’t get pregnant.
Dr. Agu said some people have erroneously assumed that when a fibroid is operated upon the woman will never be pregnant.
The maternal health expert, however, stressed that surgery is the best treatment option for women who have fibroid and want to achieve pregnancy.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the gynaecologist stated that there are reasons why some women who have fibroid can have babies while others do not.
Dr. Agu cautioned against using drugs to shrink the fibroid, noting that women who have fibroid and are desirous of having children should seek treatment from maternal health experts.
He said, “Some people have erroneous beliefs about fibroid; that fibroid should not be operated upon and that anybody that goes for surgery will never be pregnant again.
“Some people have an erroneous impression that once you do fibroid surgery, you will not be able to conceive, but that is wrong.
“If the surgery is conducted by an experienced and good hand, the person will achieve pregnancy faster and safely.
“In most cases, women that have fibroid want to get pregnant and what we recommend for them is surgery.
“The best option for a woman who wants to get pregnant is to have it done by an experienced gynaecologist.
“Women should access care from a good gynaecologist that would do it properly. Surgery is good but it depends on who did the surgery and where it was done.”
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, fibroids are benign (not cancer) growths that develop from the muscle tissue of the uterus.
ACOG says the size, shape, and location of fibroids can vary greatly.
“They may be inside the uterus, on its outer surface or within its wall, or attached to it by a stem-like structure. A woman may have only one fibroid or many of varying sizes.
“Fibroids may have the following symptoms: changes in menstruation, heavy menstrual periods, menstrual pain, pressure difficulty urinating or frequent urination, constipation, miscarriages, infertility, etc,” the ACOG said.
Dr. Agu pointed out that fibroid could be treated in several ways depending on the reason why it is being treated.
He noted, “Fibroid can be treated using drugs to reduce the symptoms. It can be treated with radiological interventions. However, if a woman has a fibroid and wants to achieve pregnancy, the best option is surgery and the woman can get pregnant.
“Using drugs to shrink the fibroid is not compatible with pregnancy. What drugs tend to achieve is to knock off the stimulation from the hormone. So, what the drugs do is knock off the ovaries and they are not compatible with pregnancy.
“The woman cannot be pregnant but the symptoms can abate. Therefore, they should go to the gynecologist and get the fibroid out if they want to have children.”
The associate professor expressed displeasure over the erroneous beliefs about fibroid which he noted had landed a lot of women with the condition into trouble.
“Some women that have fibroid claim that there are places that they can go and they get massages on their tummies and then the fibroid disappears.
“There are also those who believe that there are drugs that women with fibroid can take that can make them pass it out through the vagina. And that is why they keep on taking all sorts of herbs.
“Some have more confidence in taking traditional herbs to treat fibroid just because they are afraid of having surgeries and all that.
“But all those things are wrong and they have put a lot of women into trouble”, he said.
According to the health expert, there are lots of fake stories out there that are discouraging women that have fibroid from going for surgery.
He said, “We do not say fibroid causes infertility so to say because women that have fibroid have children.
“However, there are some locations of fibroids that will cause infertility. It depends on the position of the fibroid.
“That is why you have some women that have fibroid they still get pregnant and have babies while there are other women who have fibroid and cannot achieve pregnancy.
“It depends on where the fibroid is located. If it is located close to the fallopian tubes, if it is blocking the tubes, it can cause infertility. It can also cause infertility if it is also located within the cavity of the womb where the baby can attach and grow.”
Dr. Agu urged women that have fibroid to stop patronising quacks and traditional homes for treatment.
Warning against the dangers of seeking help in unorthodox places and taking local concoctions, the gynaecologist said, “The problem with fibroid comes from people who are not experienced.
“They could injure the lining of the womb and the woman may not see her menses again. They may have complications. Those who have their tubes inadvertently removed, may not be pregnant again.
“Some will even take those local concoctions and will never see their menses again. Some may take the concoction and it will knock off their ovaries and they will never see their menses.
“Some of the local concoctions get the fibroid matted together and by the time they come for surgery, it becomes difficult to operate. I have seen cases like that.
“Those massaging their tummies are wasting their time and giving the fibroid a chance to grow bigger and by the time they realised the damage they have done to themselves, the fibroid would have grown so big.”
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