Fibroids can lead to complicated pregnancy

Fibroids during pregnancy might increase the likelihood of complications such as caesarean delivery, breech presentation and preterm birth.Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, compared outcomes in more than 15,000 pregnant women with or without fibroids discovered during a routine second trimester sonogram. A little less than 3 percent of the women had at least one fibroid of 1 centimeter or more in size, with most women having only one fibroid.Women with fibroids had a 64 percent increased risk of having a caesarean delivery, a 59 percent increased risk of the baby being malpositioned, and a 45 percent increased risk of delivering before term. The likelihood of severe post-birth bleeding went up by 157 percent. Overall caesarean delivery rates did not differ significantly between women with larger fibroids (10 cm or greater) and women with smaller fibroids, but women with larger fibroids were more likely to have malpresentation.The biologic basis for the association between (fibroids) and obstetric complications is unclear, although physical interference leading to decreased uterine distensibility or mechanical obstruction likely play a role.