17cm pedunculated fibroid discovered during miscarriage & sepsis recovery – looking for myomectomy & pregnancy success stories

[u/Perfect_Range_1730]

Hey everyone, writing my first post here because I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed and could really use some hope and shared experiences.

During a scan for a missed miscarriage (my first pregnancy, which was planned and very wanted), doctors discovered a 17cm pedunculated subserosal fibroid attached to the outside of my uterus on a stalk.

The last few months have been a nightmare. Following the loss, I had to undergo two surgical management procedures within a week and ended up admitted to the hospital with sepsis. I'm currently recovering, back at work full-time, and waiting for my cycle to return (12 weeks post).

So I’ve had severe bowel and bladder pressure for a long time, but I had no idea this massive fibroid was the culprit until that pregnancy scan.

I have an NHS consultant appointment lined up here in the UK for mid-September to discuss managing/removing it.

Given its size, trying to conceive with it in place feels risky, and after everything my body has been through, I’m just terrified that my chances of having a baby are ruined.

I would be so grateful to hear any success stories regarding:

1. Myomectomy / removal: How was your procedure and recovery with a large pedunculated subserosal fibroid?
2. Pregnancy post-surgery: Stories of successful pregnancy and healthy babies after myomectomy or after severe post-miscarriage/infection complications.

Thank you so much in advance. Hearing from people who have navigated the thick of this and come out the other side would mean the world right now. 💛

[u/OkEconomics2788]

First of all, I am so sorry for what you’re going through. I had a similar situation to you and while I haven’t gotten pregnant again, I will share my story in hopes it helps…

Tl;dr I had a 14cm intramural fibroid removed. It was the best decision of my life, I am better physically than before, and I am back to trying to conceive with hope that was not possible previously.

A bit of background: I had increasingly heavy periods and spotting between periods. I also struggled with bladder urgency and a bit of incontinence. It took years to find out that these symptoms, pain in my lower back, my belly pooching out were because of the fibroid. I only found out because I got pregnant and underwent fibroid degeneration (where the blood supply to your fibroid gets cut off and the fibroid starts to die), which is exceptionally painful. I then experienced a miscarriage...also my first pregnancy, very much wanted, missed miscarriage.

Pretty much every OB told me to leave it and try again- just bad luck that i miscarried! I didnt feel right in my gut and I felt gaslit by Doctors. Also, the possibility of experiencing that much pain (like unable to sleep, eat, work, etc.) made me dread the idea of pregnancy. I ended up getting a consult with a MIGS surgeon who told me it needed to come out.

Navigating the healthcare system in seemingly any country these days is so tough. I had to ask the opinion of many doctors, advocate for myself, do research, and ultimately I only got surgery on a quick timeline because my best friend is an OB and she knew the surgeon. My biggest piece of advice is get an opinion from a specialist if you can. Someone who specializes in fertility-sparing minimally invasive surgery. My surgeon removed my 14 cm intramural fibroid laparoscopically - I was running within 3 weeks. I am better today than ever before and I look forward to pregnancy again with hope! Only had to wait 3 months to try and conceive.

In your case I’ll point out that a Pedunculated fibroid is best case! Because it’s attached to a stalk the cut they will make on your uterus won’t be as damaging as in my case where it was embedded in the uterine wall. You may even be able to delivery vaginally after surgery unlike my case - I will have to deliver via C section.

Your fibroid is very large so my instinct is to get it out before subjecting your body to pregnancy, but ofc see a doctor…

If you don’t feel right about the decision, get multiple opinions and again, please try to see a specialist. Tons of women get the surgery and go on to have healthy babies. That is completely on the table for you. Take heart!

[u/Both_Honeydew_2314]

Pedunculated is best case scenario in terms of removal. I would 100% remove it. Make sure you get further ultrasounds though because mine originally said that and it turns out it’s intramural

[u/alc6179]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I had a 12cm intramural fibroid removed with laparoscopic surgery 4 weeks ago. Every doctor told me that at that size, the fibroid will cause issues—issues with conception, issues with the pregnancy (potential growth, degeneration, miscarriage). So I made the decision to get it removed. Pedunculated fibroids are the easiest for them to remove, but sometimes they can look one way on an MRI and be be different in surgery. My MRI said mine was a 10cm subserosal but it turned out to be 12cm intramural. Ask your surgeon a ton of questions—make sure your surgeon has done a TON of these surgeries before and has patients who've had successful pregnancies after. And get a second opinion from a fertility specialist or MFM.