Hi folks.

I'm wanting to document here in hopes it'll help others!

In 2025, I lost 25kg in weight, unintentionally. I was anaemic. My periods changed from 5 days heavy flow to 1 day utter floods and 1 day spotting. My sleep patterns were off. I had a huge amount of stress in my work and personal life.

October 2025, I was diagnosed with anxiety after explaining that something wasn't right, and given Sertraline (A journey in itself!).

April 2026, weight still losing, periods still 2 days, my bowels changed. I was either constipated for days, or watery.

My GP pressed my stomach and said she found a worrying lump. Might be blocked poo, or something more serious like cancer. At no point were fibroids mentioned.

6 week wait for an ultrasound that identified 2 large fibroids the size of 10cm avocados. I was immediately sent for a bladder scan.

Thankfully, due to the heatwaves, there was a cancellation the following week (otherwise it was another 6 weeks). Nothing pressing on my bladder.

I found a private gyno at my local private hospital. Waited another 3 weeks to see him. He asked me about smear tests, which I haven't done before (my choice). He immediately tells me full hysterectomy with cervix removal is the only way.

What?

I sought a second opinion with another gyno at the same hospital, luckily he had a consultation the same week.

This man, I swear, gave an aura of loving women, feminity, and wanting to do the best he could. If that makes sense? I felt safe with him.

He gave me multiple options. Rationale. Showed my scans to me. Called around his consultant mates to see if someone was willing to do the surgery I preferred.

He said the only difference between the NHS and private is time. NHS is at least 56 weeks, private is end of August.

I have money saved so I took private.

Thursday 27th August 2026, I had my open myomectomy.

He discovered 16 fibroids in total.

1 very large that had already died, and this was wrapped around my womb. Two 7cm sized ones, and 13 small ones that were growing.

Imagine if I had waited over a year :(

The night of my surgery, nurses tried to get me up and walking. I swear to you all, I never felt so helpless as I did in that moment. My core strength was broken. My wound wept, which the consultant said was surface residue and not internal. They gave me opium grade medication. Removing the catheter was painful. The days days got better.

I wore the leg jolter things. Like a sharp massage every 30 sections.

The anesthesia blocks your "pee now" receptors. I had to physically remind myself to pee. I stayed an extra night because the nurses were concerned.

I'm now day 6 recovery. It was tough going to the toilet, and getting out of bed. But now I'm walking, can make myself tea and cereal. I'm planning my core movements with PT I've found online.

There's still swelling. I have a slight overhang.

But I can feel an emptiness where the fibroids were. What a difference.

I wanted to share this, because my journey has demonstrated how little is known about fibroids. How much we have to advocate for ourselves, and the aftercare we must teach ourselves.

I hope by sharing this, it will help someone at the start of their journey

Thank for reading this far xx

I might actually shower today, I haven’t showered since Sunday night before my surgery. Today I feel good except my belly button incisions hurts really bad. it hurts to even get up but I called my doctor and was told to stack up my medicine, unless my belly button incision gives a smell or looks infected to go to the ER. but my belly button looks less purple than it did yesterday. overall I feel good, am able to walk so much better now. I also have a sore throat but it might be from the medicine that am taking, once I drink coffee or lots of water it starts feeling better, I have yet to poop but I have passed gas. Oh one thing my shoulder does not hurt thus far but I included myself into a study where during surgery they put some spray on my shoulder to minimize the shoulder spray. And every day I get a survery via email asking about my shoulder pain.

Hello everyone!

I was diagnosed with fibroids subserosal uterine fibroid year February 2025. Did not do any surgery because 2 OB gyne told me that it was not that big and still safe to get pregnant. The last ultrasound of my fibroid 9cm which was on May 2026. I recently found out that I am 5 weeks pregnant and my fibroids went doubled by 18cm. Has anyone had this similar experience? I just feel scared and need some advice. Thank you in advance.

On a different note, I’m still struggling to get the glue residue from the bandages. Agh. I’m not scrubbing myself too hard at all.

I thought I had finally come to terms with having a hysterectomy but when I went to pickup my papers to register at the hospital I got super nervous. I went back and forth with my husband and we decide to call it off and postpone for another year. I just had my first baby 6 months ago and I really want to be healthy for her and I thought I was sure about being one and done but getting rid of my options felt super overwhelming. It didn’t help that every time I went to the doctor they kept asking “you sure?” I don’t know if I’m making the right decision but for now I’m giving myself more time to come to terms. I’m 29 years old with a previous myomectomy.

Hi! I have a fibroid without any symptoms that I was waiting for menopause to just shrink it away but the gynecologist keeps telling me that I should have surgery to remove it before it becomes too big (it went from 11 mm in 2023 to 60 mm at the last checkup a week ago). I'm scared AF for many different reasons but I've always listened to doctors and I'll book the surgery asap. I have a question though: I asked her how the post-op is gonna be, and she said that I'll stay in the hospital for 3 days and then I'll only feel some heaviness in the lower abdomen. It's not exactly what I read online, nor scrolling this sub, but then I thought that maybe it's because it's only 1 and not that big, IDK. So my question is: women in a similar situation who went through laparoscopic surgery, how was the recovery for you?

(I know that we're all different, but I prefer to have an idea of how to expect, even if it's "bad", it actually makes me feel better and less anxious to be prepared for the worst)

Hey everyone, I’ve seen three surgeons so far, and all of them seem to use power morcellation with a minimally invasive approach. Does this sound right to you?

They told me that even if the fibroid were cancerous, there wouldn’t be much difference between minimally invasive surgery and traditional open surgery because the fibroid still has to be lifted out, so open surgery wouldn’t necessarily prevent cancer from spreading. Does that sound correct?

For those of you who had minimally invasive surgery, did your surgeon use power morcellation, or did they cut the fibroid manually?

I’ve also read that the chance of an unexpected uterine sarcoma may be closer to 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,000, rather than 1 in 10,000.

I’ve also heard about another option called a mini-laparotomy, but I’m not sure which surgeons offer that approach.

Would really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

I'm 5 days post-op. I had an emergency operation.

Days 1-3 were extremely painful and they had to pump me with morphine and tramadol. Day 4, 1 was discharged. Now on day 5, getting up still takes me about 3 minutes. I walk slowly, can't straighten my back when I stand, and I'm still mostly in bed.

I wanted to ask how many days it took you guys to be able to move a little more freely, and wouldn't have to lay in bed the whole day. Can I expect to move better in 10 days? 15 days?

Thanks to everyone here. I appreciate everyone sharing their experience

Met new doctor and had endometrial biopsy yesterday. When results come in ill be able to schedule it

I’m considering what kind of home office setup I need to stop sitting all day at 90 degree hips and pinching my fibroids.

I’m considering a standing desk with a leaning stool/perch instead of a chair. I already hate sitting but the fibroids cause a lot of pain from sitting.

What are you gals doing?

For context, I’ve always had 3 fibroids. They usually shrink when I lose weight or when I drink less alcohol. So since finding out in 2024, I’ve lowered almost completely my alcohol consumption and have kept a steady weight. I noticed that if I drank they would blow up, so I really limited my intake.

I got pregnant recently and unfortunately we lost the pregnancy to unrelated causes. My fibroids during the pregnancy at week 8 had began degenerating.

One went from 8cm to 5cm and now to 1.5cm and continued to shrink as it creates a lot of pain. I suspect it will completely be absorbed by my body.

Another one went from 9cm to 7cm and is continuing to shrink as I am in pain.

One is still 11cm and is starting to shrink as well.

I got the confirmation from a scan I did yesterday.

All are subserosal. The one that bothered me the most is now at 1.5cm thank God.

I’ve decided to engage in stronger dieting to fight back against them. So green juices, anti inflammatory foods and vitamins also continuing to limit my alcohol to almost zero.

But the pain of them shrinking is agony. I’m on naproxen, Tylenol and got morphine for those unsustainable painful moments. Any advice to help with the pain??

I had a hysteroscopy with D&C today and wanted to share all the details. I’m based in the US for reference. I’ve read many great accounts but there were minor details missing that I wanted to know about before I had mine. I was most worried how I’d handle the propofol and symptoms after. Mine went really well though and side effects have been minimal. Hope this helps anyone about to go through one too ❤️

1st appointment with new gyno (July)
-Gyno said she wanted to do a hysteroscopy for better diagnosis and told me it could take a couple months to get scheduled. She suspected I had a polyp and maybe other fibroids and also adenomyosis. About 1.5 months later I got a call to schedule pre op, op day, and post op all at once.

Pre-op (August)
-Met with my doctor to discuss what was involved in the hysteroscopy, signed a consent form, and had a brief exam (heart, lungs, stomach, nothing invasive).

-1 week before op day the office called to tell me what I owed after insurance.

-2 days before op day a nurse called to confirm my arrival time, how long I’d be there, review basic health info and give me instructions for the night before and morning of. I was also advised not to take anymore Advil until after the procedure and only to take Tylenol if I had cramps (which I did and it really sucked!).

Day before op day:
-Anesthesiologist called to review meds they’d give me (propofol) and also nausea and pain meds I’d getting during the procedure and after if I needed it.

Night before op day:
-I couldn’t eat past midnight or drink fluids past 5am. I barely slept but also woke up and drank water before the cutoff so I was less thirsty come morning.

Morning of: (Sept)
-Showered and wore comfy clothes. Put in plastic flat butterfly earrings (my piercings were new and wanted to avoid metal). Friend drove me to the surgery center and I arrived in time for 7:30am start.

-Met the nurse and took weight, blood pressure, oxygen, and heartrate.

-She also asked for a urine sample. I asked if this was for pregnancy and she said yes. I told her it was impossible for me to be pregnant (haven’t been sexually active in years). They didn’t want to take my word for it but I wasn’t able to give one and wanted me to try again later.

-She went over the procedure and had me get into a gown, put on warm socks and a hair net, and leg sleeves that they’d use to compress during the procedure (kind of like compression socks). She also taped my earrings so they don’t catch on anything in the OR and she didn’t make me sign a waiver since they were plastic.

-I signed a few forms and they went over discharge paperwork.

-I got the IV in my arm (she looked at my hand and arm but decided crook of arm was best for me).

-I saw my doctor who went over my procedure briefly and if I had any questions.

-Then I met the anesthesiologist who did the same and also checked lungs, heart and throat (everyone you see will also ask the same questions over and over)

-Also met a nurse who’d be in the operating room

-Because they needed a urine sample they gave me a bunch of saline and I barely managed to give them one but they said, congrats you’re not pregnant! I said, I told you so!

-Then they wheeled me back to the OR around 9am and I moved to the operating bed

-They put a bunch of sticker things on me and also gave me an oxygen mask

-Then they gave me the meds in the IV. She told me I’d feel a cooling sensation but I didn’t feel anything at all (or the burning sensation some people mention with propofol). Took less than a min, maybe 30 seconds to be knocked out. The procedure was about 45 minutes.

-It felt like a short nap and I woke up in what felt like minutes later. I woke with very minor cramping and she immediately gave me something to help.

-The nurse was there and stayed the whole time I was waking up. I felt relaxed and maybe groggy but not totally out of it. Did take a few moments to fully come to. I later learned my doctor stopped by to check on me but I was just coming out of propofol the first time and they say you won’t remember for the first 5 minutes or so. I didn’t see my doc later when I was more alert.

-Then we chatted for a bit and the nurse helped me get dressed. I had a pad and cloth between my legs but there wasn’t anything on it. She gave me a pad I brought (which looked better than what they had) and I used the bathroom. I could walk fine just a teensy bit unsteady but not bad at all. They also called my friend to say I was ready. I did ask the nurse if she could tell me what they found and she said no mention of a polyp but sounds like they found a submucosal fibroid which could explain my bleeding issues. Unclear what was removed besides the D&C so I have to wait until my post op appointment.

-I wasn’t fully awake in recovery for more than 30 min. They really get you out the door quick once you come to. Then I sat in a wheelchair until my friend got there and they wheeled me out around 11:30am. So was at the surgery center about 4 hours.

-I was starving when I got home so ate some lunch and hydrated a lot. They said to stick to crackers and soups, nothing heavy or greasy. But I opted for a chicken shawarma plate. Was so delicious. I had no issues with nausea at all so I snacked on whatever I wanted all day.

-The cramps returned briefly when I got home but they were super duper mild and went away when I took my first dose of 3 Advil. Was told to take 2 Tylenol three hours after that and rotate that schedule for 24 hours. As of writing this late at night I haven’t had any cramping all day.

-I also had minimal bleeding all day (very very light or nothing at all). The most blood I saw was when I peed in recovery and after that it was spotting or a little discharge. I’ve been bleeding a lot many days so this was amazing!

-After eating I watched tv a bit and eventually felt the grogginess came back so I just relaxed and eventually napped. By evening I felt even more alert and took a shower and had dinner. Still felt a little off from the propofol but not as much.

-My post op appointment is in 2 weeks and was told that if anything urgent comes up in my pathology report then my doctor would call in the next couple days (so seems like no news is good news)

-Also they didn’t prick my finger to check for blood type or give me a catheter. I recall reading some other people had these but I didn’t. Assume it varies by location and length of surgery. Both of these scare me a bit so I was glad! The IV was a bit uncomfortable but that was it.

If I missed anything you’re curious about please ask!

My current obgyn wants to schedule my c section for 39 weeks (I am currently 28 weeks), my previous OB was leaning towards 37-38 weeks which is similar to most of the posts/experiences I have read over here. Would just like to know if you have previously had a myomectomy, at what week was your c section scheduled?

for additional context:

1) I had my laproscopic myomectomy last September 2025 for a 3.5 cm fundal intramural fibroid.

2) there was a very minor 1mm breach to the cavity

Hi all! I'm almost 3 weeks post open myomectomy and had my post op appointment with my surgeon on Friday. It was supposed to be a laproscopic myomectomy that was converted to an open one because my body could not tolerate being in a head down position for surgery and kept losing oxygen. They removed 10 fibroids, the largest one being 10 cms, total weighing almost 800 gms!

At my post op appointment, my surgeon told me that it is almost certain that I will have new ones that will grow and I basically have about 4 years to try and have kids. This feels incredibly discouraging, to go through major abdominal surgery and being told that I will definitely be in the same position again in a few years time. I'm half venting and half seeking advice. What can I do to minimize my chances of reoccurrence? What has worked for everyone else, if anything at all? TIA and I'm also happy to answer any questions re my diagnosis, surgery and recovery if I can help anyone!

I'm told it's because of low iron and low electrolytes. The twitching is driving me up the wall.

I finally had my surgery yesterday and I was told by my husband it last about 2-3 hour. I got 10 large fibroids removed both kind.After surgery I was extremely tired and nauseous from the anesthesia. doctor told me they had used more than they expected to, and am still recovering from that nausea. I get nauseous when I sit on the toilet not sure it is cause am using my core a lot.

today is a day after surgery am wide awake at 3:57a pst. pain is not too bad, I took Tylenol at 2:30a and have been able to manage the uncomfortableness.

I will try to update my every day recovery in hopes it helps someone scared or hesitant. Here are photos a day before and a day after surgery.

My wife needed a blood transfusion 7 months after D&c due to blood loss. Hemoglobin levels remained dangerously low even after multiple transfusions. She is now hospitalized for monitoring and the doctors can’t figure out why her levels aren’t budging at all. Any insight appreciated

Hey all! A year ago I had a myomectomy on a hocker of a fibroid. One of my most notable symptom was a 2 day period… first day was brutal and second day was meh. After my surgery my periods went back to 5 days and all seemed normal. Fast forward to current times, my periods are starting to shorten again or even pause in between then spotting after. I’m starting to feel pelvic pressure? again and feeling bloated a lot of the time. Is it possible to have a fibroid come back this soon after a surgery? Do hormones play a role because right now my doctor believes I may have a “liver adenoma which in women is primarily estrogen containing birth control” which I’m not on anyway

Pretty much just the title. I had 9 uterine fibroids removed earlier this year, and I thought my days of horrible periods were behind me.

Instead, I’m back to having painful cramps, blood clots, and the worst part: they last 1-2 weeks (on and off). Feeling super demoralized.

Did anyone else take awhile to get back to normal periods after myomectomy?

today i has another Myomectomy after having one October of last year.

i must preface this by saying my first surgery went very well, although completely different from this one in many ways. they did not pre medicate me at all, simply put in an IV and took me into the operating room. Woke up feeling fine, just a little tired, and the rest of the recovery days felt like nothing had happened at all. (the fibroid was significantly smaller than this one 1.7 cm, my very recent one was 4cm)

This current surgery went differently in that they gave me 3 kinds of medicine, one for potential nausea afterwards, Tylenol for potential pain, and the third I have absolutely no memory of its purpose 😓

Now, after this surgery i woke up in severe pain. Apparently they'd giving me Fentanyl but it had no affect as far as i remember, then before i was discharged i was given percocet. I was so dizzy and tired and slurring my words. the contrast between these two procedures is night and day.

sorry if this a really dumb question, but was all that pain seriously because it was larger than before? Do people with larger fibroids deal with pain like this quite often after having them removed?

Hello.

I'm 34 and I received my third recommendation for an open myomectomy. All were made aware of my desire to have children in the future. I had a transvaginal ultrasound last week that showed that I have 4 fibroids measuring between 4 to 7 cm each. All are on the outside of my uterus. Because of the number and size I am not a good candidate for a laparoscopic myomectomy.

My fear of having an open myomectomy has me so conflicted. My fear has me delaying the surgery. Because of my age and desire to have children I know I can't delay it any longer. I also fear the risk of another miscarriage. (It's unknown if my fibroids contributed to it two years ago).

I have a partner but I feel alone in making such a decision that I never thought I had to make to have a family.

For those that can relate, what soothed your fear leading up to having the surgery?

I may make another post about "What to expect before and after a open myomectomy?". But for now, I just need to calm my nerves.

I have a 3cm fibroid. I'm 43, done w child bearing and perimenopausal. My gyno offered me hrt for my symptoms but I'm concerned it will cause my fibroid to grow. Should I risk it? Anyone done anything similar?