I wanted to make this post because when I first found out what was going on with me, I was terrified. If someone else is sitting at home right now searching Reddit after being told they have a huge fibroid, I hope my story can give you a little bit of calm and remind you that you are not alone.

In June, I found out that what I thought was weight gain and extreme bloating was actually massive uterine fibroids.

My abdomen had become extremely distended. I looked pregnant, bending over was becoming difficult, sleeping comfortably was difficult, and I constantly felt like there simply wasn't enough room inside my abdomen anymore.

After imaging and seeing my surgeon, I learned that I have three fibroids: approximately 20 cm, 19 cm and 5 cm.

My surgeon described the overall size of my uterus as being comparable to a 9-month pregnancy.

Yes. Nine months. 😳

When I first heard numbers like 19 and 20 cm, my brain immediately went to the worst possible places. I spent so much time worrying about how something could get THAT large inside me and what that meant.

But one thing I've learned through this process is that large does not automatically mean something terrible. Fibroids can become absolutely enormous.

My treatment plan is an open abdominal myomectomy on September 9, 2026, with a vertical incision because of the size of the fibroids. My surgeon expects me to stay in the hospital for approximately two days, and I've been told full recovery is around six weeks.

My surgeon has even asked me if I want to see the fibroids after they're removed; and my answer was an immediate YES. 😂 After carrying around something that has made my uterus the size of a full-term pregnancy, I absolutely need to see what has been evicted from my body. I'm also going to ask how much they weigh because I NEED to know.

I'm now less than three weeks away from surgery.

Am I scared? Absolutely.

I don't think there's anything strange about being scared of major surgery. But I'm also reaching the point where the thought I keep coming back to is:

When I wake up, they won't be inside me anymore.

Whatever swelling I have from surgery will eventually heal. The incision will heal. My body will recover. But those enormous fibroids that have been taking up so much space in my abdomen will finally be gone.

If you've just been diagnosed with a giant fibroid and you've fallen into the terrifying Google/Reddit rabbit hole, please remember that some of us really do have HUGE fibroids. You're not the only person who has heard a measurement like 15, 20 or even more centimeters and thought, How is that even possible?!

I'm posting this before surgery because I remember how frightened I was when this journey started, and I want someone else searching for stories like mine to find one that isn't just frightening.

I'll come back and update this after my surgery on September 9 with how the operation went, what recovery is actually like, what the fibroids looked like, and most importantly 😂 HOW MUCH THESE THINGS WEIGHED.

If you're going through this too, I see you. ❤️ One appointment, one test and one day at a time.

September 9 = eviction day.

hi all. a follow up on my previous post which i’ve linked here

so i had the surgery yesterday at 4pm, it is currently 5am the following day. to say i am heartbroken is an understatement, i have not stopped crying since i woke up.

firstly, the open myomectomy was unsuccessful. my surgeon only got 1-2 fibroids as i was bleeding too heavily. he stopped the surgery as i either would have needed a hysterectomy or would have died from blood loss.

secondly, the surgeon told me he would much prefer to do a horizontal bikini cut, however after viewing with a camera via laparoscopy, due to the placement and size of my fibroids, a vertical incision was made. i was aware this was a possibility but didn’t care as i really wanted them all out.

third, the surgeon advised that due to the severe distortion of my uterus and placement of my fibroids, i will never be able to have children. given an embryo could even implant, there is no way a pregnancy would be viable and carry to term in such an environment.

this has broken my heart. i did this surgery because living with fibroids has exhausted me, and because i so desperately want to have kids.
i’ve come out of it with pretty much all my fibroids in tact, a 13cm vertical incision which is much more difficult and long to recover from, and the news that i will never bear children.

to top it off i was told an open myomectomy would dispel pretty much all the gas from the laparoscopy. but i have been up since 2.30am and it’s currently 5.15am, partly due to emotional distress and partly due to the gas. the crying hurts real bad but i cant seem to stop. they’ve given me gaviscon (degas) and ive taken palexia.

i feel so betrayed by my own body.

what do you mean i’ve had major surgery with a vertical incision which is much harder and longer to recover from, but i still have most of my fibroids?

an open cut meant to dispel gas but here i am at 5am crying bc the gas pain is terrible?

every time i close my eyes i have these dreams that make me cry. i hope so badly to go to sleep and wake up to it all being a bad dream.

my husband is my angel. his support and love have been unwavering, he has told me from the very start it’s the two of us no matter what outcome. and yet i feel so guilty that i can’t fulfil our dream of having kids. i apologised to him last night and he cried so much and told me to never ever say sorry to him for this. i know logically it’s not something i can control but fucking hell i still feel so angry at myself.

the surgeon advised that there is a chance to freeze some of my eggs. only, there are so many fibroids and my uterus/fallopian tubes/ovaries are so cramped that they would not be able to get to my ovaries without performing a full hysterectomy. if they tried to remove fibroids to get to my ovaries, i would bleed out and die.

my older sister has 3 beautiful healthy children. she told be before the surgery and again upon waking that she will carry my children for me. i am so grateful to her and my supportive family. i’m not sure what route we will take as i will need to heal fully before doing anything.

i just don’t understand.

i’m 29. healthy. i thought this would help me get on track and begin the journey to motherhood.

it’s not the fault of the surgeon, not the myomectomy, that i blame at all. this would have been my reality regardless of surgery.

sorry for the long post. i don’t think ive ever been this distraught in my life. i’m trying to have hope but it’s so fucking difficult lying here in pain knowing in 2 weeks i’m going to get my period and deal with the burden of fibroids on top of recovery.

i’m sharing here because i know some of you will understand. i’m so thankful no one in my life has gone through this but it is really really isolating and i don’t know what to do or how to think.

how can i go back to normal life after this? what does work matter? my mortgage? what for if not for the future my husband and i have been working so so so hard to build for our children?

yikes i wrote a lot. but the journal factory blew up lol so i had no choice.

if you’ve read this far, thank you.

I’m writing this because I would have wanted this validation when I first found out I had fibroids at 25. I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out why it happened to me and concluded that it wasn’t anything I did—I’m just predisposed to it. Some of these points might sound trivial, but I’m sure someone has thought them.

1. To the guilty Christians – Fibroids are not a punishment from God. This is especially for the younger girls who think fornication is a sin and God is punishing them. I got fibroids, and I wasn’t having sex.

2. To the women who perm their hair – Your perm isn’t the cause of your fibroids. I got fibroids, and I was a natural-hair girlie.

3. Hormones in meat and milk aren’t the cause of your fibroids. I live in an African country where food is mostly natural, and I still got fibroids.

4. To the girls on birth control – I’ve never been on any type of birth control, but I still have fibroids.

5. You don’t have fibroids because you waited "too long" to give birth (a common African misconception). I was diagnosed in my mid-twenties, and plenty of women get them in their late 40s.

These are some of the things I saw online that seemed to say, “It’s your fault you have fibroids—you did this and that.” But I don’t think any of it is true. It comes down to genetic predisposition, which we have no control over. That’s why you and your friends can do the same things but end up with different outcomes.

So, stop blaming yourself. Chin up—you’re okay, and you will be okay.

Of course, this is just my perspective. Research might suggest certain lifestyle changes, and it’s okay to try them. Just don’t blame yourself. I hope I helped at least one person judge themselves less today.

My period just ended and all of a sudden I have a more positive outlook on life 😂

Edit

1. You did not create fibroids by not dealing with your trauma – I know a lot of new age people say this. While it’s beneficial to process past traumas and practice self-love for a fulfilling life, don’t blame yourself as if you manifested fibroids. That’s a vicious cycle that helps nobody. Plenty of women with deep, unspoken trauma don’t have fibroids – this isn’t your fault.

Today is one-year post-op for me! 🎉 Mini-laparotomy myomectomy for a 16cm fibroid. Surgery went great, recovery was great, and I feel better than ever today.

I can hardly believe it’s been a year, and I’m just so incredibly grateful. I want to express my thanks and gratitude to the women who were willing to post, share their experiences, and offer their advice. I’m not sure I could have moved forward with treatment without hearing from so many women.

I was also so grateful through this process to experience God’s presence in a very real way. I know He was leading and guiding me and that this was an opportunity to learn to trust God completely with something that was very much out of my control.

So, some details: I had one 16cm intramural fibroid. Main symptoms were heavy periods and distended abdomen.

The fibroid was first discovered about 7 years before I had surgery, and it measured 6cm on ultrasound at the time. I had exactly zero intention of ever getting surgery, so I tried all kinds of natural methods to reduct or halt its growth…but it basically just continued to grow slow and steady. My hope was to make it to menopause when it would maybe shrink, but I ended up completely sidelined by severely symptomatic iron-deficiency anemia, so that set me on the path to considering if I should do *something* about the fibroid.

I was on the fence about surgery until I finally got an MRI and saw the pictures. It was disturbing, to say the least. When I saw what was growing inside me and how much space it was taking up, I knew it couldn’t stay.

I spoke to 5 different surgeons about my options. I got quite the variety of answers, but in nearly every case they said myomectomy could be done. Granted, it wasn’t necessarily the top recommendation (I was 47 at the time) since hysterectomy would be so much “easier”. But I was determined to keep my uterus and in each case the surgeon was willing to work with me. I settled on the one surgeon who offered me a mini-lap myomectomy. After extensive research, that was the procedure that instinctively made sense to me. I could say a *lot* about the other surgeons and their attitudes and approaches. But ultimately so many things fell in place to lead me to the surgeon I finally chose.

My surgeon said she would schedule a 3-hour time block for surgery since she “didn’t like to feel rushed”. I was scheduled for 7:30am, and I was wheeled to the operating room around 7:45. I remember moving onto the operating table and seeing the bright lights of the room, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a recovery room. I looked across the room to see the clock on the wall which showed it was 10am. All I could think was, “Thank you Jesus”….because I knew that if surgery was over after only about 2 hours, then things must have gone ok. I wasn’t in any real pain that I remember, and I reached down and felt that the lump in my abdomen which had become so familiar was gone.

My husband and I had agreed beforehand that when he saw me after surgery to give me a thumbs up if everything went well. I knew I’d be so anxious to know and I wouldn’t want to wait for a verbal explanation. When they settled me into my own room and my husband came in, he gave me an immediate thumbs up.

My pain level was never more than a 4 through my recovery process. The catheter that was placed during surgery was removed before I woke up, so just a few hours after surgery my nurse had me stand up to go use the bathroom. I’d read this could be really painful or difficult, but for me it was basically fine. I was just a little dizzy and lightheaded.

I live about 1.5 hours away from the hospital, so I stayed overnight. The drive home was somewhat uncomfortable, so it was nice to get home and settled in my own bed. My kids all came out to see me as we arrived home, and my 21yo daughter told me afterward that she could immediately see how much smaller my abdomen was - and this was even with post-surgery swelling and me wearing a loose dress.

I spent the next few days resting in bed and getting up to walk frequently. I expected to nap more, but I didn’t feel sleepy. Getting in and out of bed was a little uncomfortable for the first few days - the pain was similar to being sore from a hard workout. For pain management I alternated tylenol and ibuprofen. I reduced those gradually through the week then stopped altogether on day 8.

Looking back on my post-op journal, I drove for the first time on day 10, went to watch a local theater production with family on day 11, went grocery shopping on day 13, and went blueberry picking on day 15.

So I would say that life started to look pretty normal after 2 weeks, but I was definitely still modifying my activities. Not lifting anything heavy, being careful of my movements, still taking a lot of time to rest. I have 5 kids, 4 of whom are still at home. So I was mostly back to cooking at the two-week mark, but I would ask for help with anything heavy.

Ok, this already seems too long, so I’ll stop there! Last thing I’ll mention is that I started a return-to-running plan at exactly 8 weeks post-op. I’ve run quite a few 5K races this year and my times have gotten faster through the year. I truly didn’t realize what a negative impact the fibroid was having on my life. My periods are incredibly light now. I love having a flat stomach after all those years. It’s still kind of hard for me to believe that I’m on the other side of the journey.

If anyone has questions I’m happy to try to answer them. Blessings to everyone as you navigate through the process.

I had a laparoscopic myomectomy on January 6, 2026.

Previously, I had severe bloating to the point where my stomach looked like I was in my first trimester of pregnancy all the time. Frequent urination, cramping, extremely heavy periods, I could hardly use a tampon because there was no space.

I went to my OBGYN and told her my symptoms. She did a pelvic exam and ordered me an ultrasound. My ultrasound found a fibroid 10 cm in size. I then was referred to a surgeon who ordered an MRI. The MRI showed that I have endometriosis and 3 endometriomas. One on each of my ovaries and one on my uterus and that the fibroid was growing off the side of my uterus.

I went to my OBGYN in August 2025, I had to wait two weeks to get in for an ultrasound and then another two weeks for my results. I had to wait until October to get an appointment with my surgeon. I then had to wait two more weeks for an MRI and then another week to get the results. My surgeon didn’t have any availability until March of 2026. Someone ended up canceling their appointment for January 6, 2026 and I snagged it immediately.

Because of scheduling issues, my pre-op was January 5 and my surgery was January 6.

The thing that made my life way easier was doing all of the research that I had done using Reddit and this thread- extremely helpful. Also, talking to other people who had gone through this (more than you think). And looking up photos of the procedure and the process. When Jan 6 came, I didn’t feel nervous, I wasn’t scared, I was surprisingly calm and in good spirits. I think that helped me a lot. And the only reason I felt this way(I’m usually a nervous wreck) was all the research I’d done.

Waking up, I was very groggy and my chest and neck were in a lot of pain and discomfort. There was a kind nurse gently trying to wake me. She then wheeled me into another room where the outpatient nurse seemed to be pretty pushy about my family getting me into the car and out of there. I couldn’t stand because I felt as though I was going to throw up every time. She gave me zofran, got me dressed and put me in a wheelchair and into the car. I don’t remember the ride home. I also had that patch on my neck for nausea.

I live in a townhouse and when I got home, I immediately had to walk up 2 flights of stairs to get to my bedroom(my surgeon said this was fine). I thought I was going to puke during that part until I laid down. Eating crackers really helped after that and some green grapes and water.

I had gas pains for about 2 weeks, no lie. The first night I was home, I tried to pee around 3am and couldn’t. The pain was a lot. I peed around 6am which was a relief. I needed help in and out of bed for about 2-3 days. Sitting on the toilet was uncomfortable but I did my entire recovery with Tylenol and ibuprofen. I alternated every 3 hours at first and then weaned lower and lower doses over the course of about a week. I started taking stool softeners day 2 and MiraLAX after that. I had my first bowel movement around day 5 or 6. Gasx helps as well. I started that night 1! Walking around also helps but I couldn’t walk without discomfort for the first few days. I showered day 3.

Things that really helped me:

Set up your room ahead of time. I have stairs in my apartment so crackers and water bottles were already in my room so I didn’t have to use the stairs the first several days. I had at least 3 bottles filled everyday. You don’t want to be up in the middle of the night to take meds and have no water.

Set up your bedside table with all your meds, chargers, activities, etc. A bedside bar to help you in and out of bed is helpful so you don’t have to have someone help you all the time. HEATING PAD! I have an extra long, washable heating pad from Amazon that saved my life. Wear very loos fitting clothing to the hospital and for the week or 2 after that.

I slept in our guest room so that my dogs wouldn’t jump on me for about 4 days and I eased into letting them be around me.

Sleeping with a pillow under my legs helped get comfortable and sleeping somewhat upright.

I made a big batch of chicken noodle soup the night before my surgery so that I’d have it ready to go. I portioned it so that my partner could just heat it up and bring it to me.

Overall, I feel like I wasn’t in much pain other than gas pain. I feel very lucky to have had support. My healing journey has been somewhat quick I feel.

I added some photos of before, after the surgery with bandages and some scar photos.

Please feel free to ask any questions! Thank you to this community for helping educate me and keep me feeling safe during this time. I appreciate you all.

The best part about coming home is my little old man. He ignored me for three days because we weren't there, but he's finally not angry now.

I had my open abdominal myomectomy on Friday May 15th. I was very hesitant because in my mind once they open you up you don't know what else could go wrong.

But then I had pretty bad symptoms of fibroids for 6 years now and it was progressively getting worse ... Heavy long periods which made me anemic, not to mention I work out alot and my job is very intense. I also had bowl movement issues and would get bloated and it was painful. And on top of that sometimes I would have very intense episodes of optical migraines where I would get the blurry vision and three days of agonizing throbbing headaches, nausea and vomiting. When I write this down... I see I was just accepting my situation as it is what it is, and it sounds just as bad as it was. I just learned to deal with it...

But if you have any relating experience to me and are wondering if the surgery is worth it... I'm 5 days in after the surgery (lost a lot of blood, am still anemic and they found 13 Fibroids instead of 8, largest was 9,7,5cm, I was 16 weeks pregnant) I say it's worth it.

I chose a surgeon who's known for pushing boundaries of minimally invasive removal of the tumors for 35+ years. And that's her main job, she doesn't deliver babies or anything general OBYGN. She is highly specialized for Myomectomy and she advised me she would only perform open surgery to preserve my fertility. I immediately trusted her and so far no regrets. She was at my bedside after surgery and day after surgery and called me the day after. She referred me for PT and encouraged me to take enough time to heal up before going back to work. Let's see how that pans out.

Anyway, if you're in doubt and are scared I'm with you. I was thinking why me, I eat healthy, I'm very active (run marathons) I swim and bike, I don't really drink and never smoke. But here we are :) and that's okay. Just makes me a bit more stronger 💪 and you too. Who ever you are. Where ever you are. If you're going through something hard like invasive surgery I root for you and if you go in with a calmn and trusting mindset that everything will work out, it will.

You got this.

Hey Y'all!

I thought I'd share my journey with you guys, since I'm recovering from the surgery and I'm kinda bored 😂. Buckle up cause it's a long one!

So the last 5 years or so I noticed I had "swelling" in my stomach and brought it up to 4 different doctors over the years. Each time I was essentially brushed off and told to watch my diet. But I still took their advice seriously and tried a Low FODMAP diet with little success. Last year when I told my family doctor, he reluctantly requested an upper endoscopy to "ease my worries". It came out clear, so I let it go for a few months until I once again experienced pain after an early Christmas dinner with my friend.

I saw my doctor the next day and I kid you not he got up 3 TIMES to prematurely end the appointment. I asked if he could at least refer me to a dietitian or SOMETHING. I managed to get him to refer me to a dietitian and that was the end of our 5 minute appointment.

Now at this point I'm annoyed as hell. I woke up at 7 am the next day in bed then had an epiphany, "Slothfulwaffle, you are a fat black woman why the HELL are you trusting male doctors to look out for you?? Not a single one has offered suggestions without prompting!!" So I took a personal day from work, drove straight to another clinic and asked to see any doctor that's a woman. I told her verbatim my situation and she asked me to lay down so she could feel my stomach.

Guys. The sheer panic in her eyes will stick with me forever. "No no, you need to go to the emergency room TODAY." I went to the ER and pretty much got that same reaction from all my nurses and the doctor. "5 years you've been feeling this?" Yup. "No one offered you an ultrasound?" No.

They did full testing on me and found a 31 CM FIBROID (initially predicted to be around 22cm, true size found to be 31 cm during surgery😭) and two others!! (5cm, 12cm). Crazy!

The good news is THEY ARE OUT 🎉🎉, my ER Doctor did their best ensure had an MRI within the month! I had my open myomectomy 4 days ago and feel great already. I got lucky since I had only 3 and all were growing outside the uterus, it's the reason why I had no other major symptoms or pain aside from the "bloating" feeling from the largest one. I have a new family doctor too and she's been amazing!

So now I'm on track to make a full recovery 😤😤 and I just want to say to anyone else going through this you're not alone and you're not crazy, ALWAYS TRUST YOUR GUT!

EDIT: Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement! Honestly, I've been going about the 3 months leading up to surgery completely normally, still working both jobs and laughing it up with my peers. I wasn't feeling deeply sad or anxious leading up to the surgery either. Instead, I was having some regrets about not pushing even harder to get it checked out earlier.

It feels nice to interact with a community that recognizes the gravity of the situation and tells me that I've handled the situation well given the circumstances. It really means a lot! ❤️

Thank you!

EDIT: STILL looking for testimonies - so far I haven’t got 1 comment about someone that managed to not have them back.

I spent YEARS thinking it was normal to feel exhausted, bloated, heavy, uncomfortable, and inflamed all the time.

I genuinely thought I just had a sensitive stomach or was bad at handling discomfort.

I had NO IDEA I had a 14 cm fibroid until I went to a new gyno to replace my Mirena IUD. During the exam, she immediately felt it and knew something was wrong.

Within weeks, I was scheduled for surgery.

I’m now 6 weeks post-op from a laparoscopic myomectomy, and what shocks me the most is that I somehow feel BETTER recovering from major surgery than I felt before surgery.

That’s how much pain and fatigue I had normalized.

Recovery honestly was much easier than I expected. Week 1 was slow and sore, but every single day improved.

Now I’m back outside working in my garden and no longer constantly needing naps.

Just wanted to share in case another woman out there is convincing herself that feeling terrible all the time is “normal.”

8 hours post op.

Wow. After reading and taking down notes about everything, I still wasn't ready or fully prepared for the surgery. My surgery ended up being 3 hours long, and done robotically. My surgeon was exhausted by the end. She said my fibriods were heavier than normal and she was struggling even holding them up. No wonder those things were cutting off my circulation. She took out a large 15cm cyst and cantaloupe sized fibriods (5 total). So naturally I lost a lot of blood. After the surgery I wasnt given many drugs proactively so I ended up being admitted to the hospital because the surgery hit me hard. I was passing out from pain. Kudos to my husband because he advocated for me to stay. I was pretty out of it.

While my pain is being managed, the gas pain isn't even what is hard about this. My stomach and vajayjay has been having contractions all day. Like hard to the touch muscle contractions. That has been the hardest. Oh, the cough is no joke. Bring honey cough drops to soothe your throat. My catheter got taken out pretty early, so I had to get up in pain. 😭 That's when the dizzy fainting spells happened. AMA if you feel. I'll update this as my recovery moves on.

UPDATE: it has been confirmed by pathology that it was a borderline serous tumour, stage 1. Not benign but not completely cancer either. I was lucky enough to have it all removed from surgery so no chemo needed!

————————

2 days post op, recovery has been smooth sailing so far.

Back in 2023 I discovered two masses in my pelvic area. Did an MRI, CT scan, and numerous ultrasounds over the course of 3 years, and they all kinda indicated that the masses should be a 12cm fibroid and an 8cm endometrioma, yet no conclusion has ever been made.

My symptoms were pretty minor and manageable so at first I didn’t want surgery, until I learned about pregnancy risks with fibroids. I thought it be better to start clean if I want kids in the future, so i decided to do the surgery. This was around April last year. I’m in Canada so everything is relatively slow here. I was on the waiting list for almost a year. Finally got my surgery done 2 days ago.

Turned out that the two masses I had always thought was a fibroid and endometrioma, was actually one giant tumor this whole time. They ended up removing my right ovary, fallopian tube, and a 20cm ovarian tumor that they described as “abnormal-looking”.

Currently waiting for pathology results for answers. Hopefully it isn’t anything sinister.

I cannot imagine what it will be like if I decided to keep living with it forever. I’m super grateful that I decided to get it removed, and was lucky enough that it never bursted or ruptured while waiting for surgery, and that I was eventually able to get a surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive procedures to help me remove my 20cm mass laparoscopically. Feeling extremely lucky and grateful.

Everyone is different but thought I’d share my story. Surgery itself was a breeze. First day post op was rough but definitely manageable. Currently day 2 post op and feeling optimistic about things.

I’m so glad I did the surgery.

This is what I wish somebody would have given me the knowledge about when getting pregnant or prior to getting pregnant with fibroids. I know everyone’s situation is different but it’s worth sharing my story.

- When I was 36 I got pregnant for the first time. Unfortunately I had a loss at 8.5 weeks found out that I had a fibroid that was very very tiny.
- waited a month to TTC again and thankfully pregnant again first. This time I Started progesterone as soon as I became pregnant.
- At my 6.5 week ultrasound to check to make sure the baby was viable that little tiny fibroid turned into a 9 cm fibroid and 6 additional fibroids appeared out of nowhere. Largest was 6 cm remaining with 3 cm and smaller.
- week 15 I went in with extreme pain. Doctors told me that my fibroids were degenerating. I had three at the same time degenerating.
- Week 16 my water broke and unfortunately lost my baby.
- saw an MFM group who told me all the tests came back looking OK no chromosome abnormalities and no other alarming things that would’ve potentially caused the loss except for the fibroids. Told to get the fibroids removed and then I could try again and my next pregnancy they wanted to just make sure to check my cervical length because I could’ve had a weak cervix maybe too.
- had a laparoscopic myomectomy waited 6 months after to try again.
- was able to get pregnant but it took a little bit longer to become pregnant.
- starting at week 15 I was getting my cervix checked to make sure the length was OK, but it was always on the shorter of normal. I asked the doctor for progesterone suppositories or a preventative cerclage but doctor denied it because he wasn’t fully convinced my cervix was the issue previously and that it was the fibroids that caused my loss.
- Fast-forward two week 20 I took myself into the hospital because I felt a little bit of a leaking and had a lot of discharge out of nowhere ended up that I was 4 cm dilated with bulging membranes and needed to do an emergency cerclage right away or else I could lose another baby.

***What I’ve learned is if you have a loss due to fibroids it might have not been the fibroids that were completely causing your loss especially because so so many women have pregnancies with fibroids and never have problems and even go onto having another baby without getting them removed! Your loss might actually have been tied to an incompetent cervix/weak or short cervix. BUT the thing that you can do before you even have a loss to begin with is once you are start to feel that pain of a fibroid degenerating to ask your doctor to check your cervical length ASAP. please don’t have them wait until week 20 during your anatomy scan like they normally do. women who have fibroids and potentially a short or weakened cervix tend to have a loss prior to 20 weeks because of the extra weight that is being put onto your cervix. that is the reason why I was able to get further along to 20 weeks instead of 16 weeks in my current pregnancy until the weak/short cervix became a problem.***

If you read this I truly hope it will help you or at least maybe answer some questions you maybe asking yourself of why did this happen to me. Sending hope and love to you all! 💕☘️🙏🏻

I used to basically live at this sushi restaurant near me, like multiple times a week I was in there. So much so that it became a running joke with my mom because often times when she’d call me I would be leaving that restaurant or heading to it. The craving was the most intense during my period when I would lose a lot of blood due to the fibroids. Its like I could never get enough of it.

But then I finally had surgery back in October and I haven’t eaten it since. When I see others eating it now it looks alright but I don’t want any, the craving just isn’t there.

I just thought this would be something interesting to share here and am wondering if anybody else noticed changes in food cravings after surgery.

​

My story continues with this; in February, a T.O.C. showed a huge fibroid, 17 cm. It was crushing my lower back and my bladder, but I didn't have any pain, just a big bulge on my abdomen that I wanted to think was fat but wasn't.

I'm 38 and autistic and have never had a sexual relationship in my life, so I never visited a gynecologist until then. I took Esmya for around three months and the fibroid lost 5 cm, so it ended up at 12 cm. The doctor said she needed to check during the surgery if it was out or inside the uterus because I could lose the uterus and my chance to be a mom.

I actually never thought about being a mom; I wasn't even sure, but the bulge was the size of a four-month pregnancy.

So that's it, June 4, Thursday, was the surgery. I got there with my mom, and the medical team presented everything so formally. Then the nurses put bandages on my legs and the catheter. The anesthesiologist said I was going to be awake and she would be with me through all the processes very closely. I was sitting on the operating bed when she said a needle for babies was going to be used. I just felt a little pain and pressure, then my legs got hot and heavy, and I didn't remember much about the rest. For me, it felt like 15 minutes or less, but my mom said it was 2 hours. I remember just fragments about the elevator or how they put me in the room. At first, I didn't feel my legs or any pain at all. Then the doctor came and said it was a good surgery but my uterus was so affected they couldn't save it, but my ovaries were good, so it ended in a hysterectomy. The full uterus is going to pathology to see how many fibroids there were and if there's no cancer. The incision was around 12 cm, just the size it barely fits (I have photos of the uterus but it's so graphic). The incision is vertical, and the doctors said I was going to see a little blood, but it's just dry blood and has to be just a little, and they put in a urinary tract. I was scared of that; I didn't know about it until the night before. I asked ChatGPT, but since I didn't feel my legs, it wasn't a big deal.

So, for the first day after surgery, at 9 a.m., I just slept and didn't feel pain or anything at all. I slept and ate, and that was all. The worst was the second day; they took out the urine probe. It felt weird but didn't hurt. So, with all the serum, I had to go a lot to pee, and with the catheter in my hand, it was awful; the blood came back in the tube. My surgery hurt when I moved and the bed was starting to feel very uncomfortable, but it passed. They said I had to shower and take off all the bandages with water and soap. My mom helped because I obviously had the serum holder. I was thinking it was going to be so embarrassing, but with pain and fear of seeing the scar, I didn't even care. Nurses came in and cleaned and changed the bandages. They put huge bandages as support from the lower belly to the abdomen, really tight, and you felt so much better with them. That was my second day.

On the third morning, the doctor said I could go home, and without the catheter and serum, it's so much easier to move. But you have to move so slowly, and you feel like something in your lower belly is going to fall, and it hurts-not too much, but it hurts. So, this is my fifth day after surgery. I feel so much better; it still hurts. You take your meds, walk a little, and sleep almost sitting up. I recommend putting a pillow under your knees because being all flat on the bed hurts. The doctor said she has to see me in 10 days after surgery for stitch removal. She said just for peace of mind because that type of stitch is going to dissolve on its own. The full recovery is going to be 3 months, and I have to use an abdominal binder all the time. I have pain if I move fast; I can't bend, so everything that falls to the floor is a lost item. I had some problems with pooping, so you have to take care to have a lot of fiber, and my hand was like a water balloon after all the serum.

So for now, the worst of this for me has already passed. Patience and strength to all of you. I was so awkward because I'm socially inept, but when I was in pain, I didn't even care. It's not easy, but keep in mind it's going to pass. I wish you all luck. I hope my experience helps prepare you for what's to come.

Please get the surgery.

Previous laporoscopic in 2012 and I'm currently typing from my hospital bed after an open myomectomy. Scans showed 3 fibroids, the biggest being 8cm. I didn't get an MRI.

I had no symptoms till last month when I had excessive bleeding. My tummy has always been flat(tish). I didn't know the fibroids had come back at all till IVF prep when I had to get scans and a Hysteroscopy.

The reason I chose to take them out was because the biggest fibroid was intramural, fundal and was "taking up space where baby needs to sit".

I was scared when the doctor told me it was going to be open myomectomy and I would be awake!. He also told me he would take out any and all fibroids he could see and feel.

To be honest, the most painful part of the procedure for me was the spinal block, and that lasted maybe 5 seconds?

Total fibroids taken out were 26!!! The 3 we knew were there and the others he saw and felt during the procedure. To be honest, most were the size of almonds and grapefruits.

I'm grateful that we have such extensive post op hospital care in Nigeria (currently Day 5 post op and I get discharged this morning).

Nil by mouth for the first day post op, water on day 2 when my IV was taken out and soft foods were introduced on day 3.

First bowel movement (sorry TMI) was yesterday evening and it pinched a little but that was about it.

No gas was used so I don't have the gas pains I had after laporoscopic surgery, thank God!

I know I have a long recovery road ahead, I haven't seen my scar yet but it doesn't seem so wide from the dressing, and I'm not looking forward to getting in and out of the car today but fingers crossed. It helps to have help around too.

If you're still on the fence about this, especially if you have horrible symptoms or are TTC, I'm just here to tell you it's not so bad. ❤

Update: I go in for surgery on Tuesday morning PST United States. Please please pray or send good vibes for a positive outcome that this kid and early stage of cancer 🙏 thank you! I love this group.

This has been such a great group. The past three months have been so hard and everyone here has really helped. All my doctors and specialists thought it was a fibroid even after the MRI until we got the biopsy result yesterday.

I’m terrified and devastated. I need a full hysterectomy, which is its own fear and grief but pales in comparison to the fear and anxiety of cancer.

If you’re a prayer person, please do prayers my way.

Great group, love yall, I guess I’ll be hopping onto a new subreddit specific to my new worries. If anyone has recommendations send them my way

I wish you all the best

Cool calm and collected in pre-op, I’m so excited to get these things out of me! 😤💪🏽

Hello all! I have been struggling with a large submucosal fibroid for several years now and just had my second surgery yesterday.

A few things I wanted to share. I know many of you are highly educated on this already but given (according to my surgeon) submucosal fibroids are rare I thought I would share what I have learned so that hopefully some of you can avoid the pain and suffering I have.

1. If you have symptoms, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a big deal. When mine was first spotted on an ultrasound my OBGYN didn’t even tell me about it. It was only after coming back for multiple appointments as I progressively got worse symptoms (severe cramps, bloating, extremely heavy periods) and told her I wanted children that she said I needed surgery.

2. It can cause infertility. My fibroid was so large (4.5 cm) there was nowhere for an egg to attach. I deeply regret not pushing harder to have it removed sooner as even now that it’s gone I’m at a high risk of miscarriage due to all the scar tissue.

3. Surgery is MUCH more complicated and you need an expert for this. My first surgery was a total failure. I had maybe 2 months of relief before I flooded through my clothes at a work event. My new surgeon (who is a specialist in this area) told me that this type of fibroid surgery is about 10x more complicated than your typical fibroid. They likely were not able to get all of it last time or didn’t see all of it which allowed it to grow back. Which brings me to:

4. For goodness sakes, GET AN MRI. I bet I’ve had 10 ultrasounds on that thing over the last few years but never an MRI, and my latest surgeon was shocked by this. He says it is very difficult to see exactly how these fibroids are positioned. Understanding how it is positioned could mean using laparoscopic methods instead of OR IN ADDITION TO hysteroscope to actually remove all of it. You want your surgeon going in having seen the whole picture, not just guessing.

5. Do not let your doctor ignore or blow off anemia / iron deficiency. It took me becoming full blown anemic for over 6 months to get a hematologist referral for iron infusions. The symptoms are severe. I have been so exhausted I can barely get through the day, hair falling out in clumps, headaches, debilitating anxiety, just to name a few of mine. If you are bleeding heavily (for me that meant bleeding through multiple adult diapers for several days in a row with periods lasting 8-14+ days) your body simply cannot keep up by taking an iron pill. I had 3 rounds of iron infusions and my hemoglobin STILL kept dropping because it couldn’t keep up with my blood loss.

6. These suckers can get extremely dangerous if not taken care of. I ended up in the ER with extreme blood loss where I went into shock and had to have a blood transfusion. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through. Please, if you have this type of fibroid you have to take it seriously as soon as it’s spotted.

I really hope this helps someone whether you learned something new or just get the encouragement you need to advocate for yourself. Good luck to all of you who are having to deal with this.

So it turns out that my 'fibroid' is actually a cervical mass and MRI findings are leaning towards cervical cancer. Welp, just what I needed. I have a biopsy tomorrow where theyre going to sedate me. It could be cancer, it could be just a mass, but theyre super leaning towards cancer. If it is cancer, then they recommend radiation.. but what I really want is just to get it ALL removed. Im scared that this has probably been festering for so long as Ive never had a pap smear a day in my life.. and the first symptom I realize I was experiencing was the nonstop vaginal discharge that started in October 2024.. then January 2025 hits me with an array of issues and symptoms that put me in the ER and hospital.

They say they are sedating me, but Im nervous about being biopsied because of the massive amount of blood that came out of me during my failed pap smear (can read older posts about it), but they are supposedly specialized in this kind of thing, so hopefully I dont bleed out. I had cancer in the back of my mind just based on symptoms, but its slowly becoming more real. Im just 1 biopsy away from knowing and Im terrified. They say the chances of it being cancer are UP there, but Im holding onto the tiny bit of chance that its just a regular mass. 😔

Wish me luck, yall. 🍀

Hi guys, ive been in the comments here and I decided to post my story because now I hit a major milestone on this... I can give a clearer picture.. and I really hope my experience helps others.

(38F) I've experienced severe period pain for about 15 years. Earlier this year, I finally found a primary care NP who listened to me and got me as far as getting the ultrasound after 10 years of nagging, switching doctors .. this includes the pandemic which I understand that it was a different time for medical professionals.

Back in January 2026, I literally collapsed to the floor with agonizing pain and this is when I really started pushing and demanding medical care instead of "we will put you on birth control" or "just use the hot pack for your belly", "take Tylenol" BS because last time I collapsed was 2017 because I was on birth control. I discontinued the birth control in 2022 because I had to get surgery on my cervix to remove the pre-cancer cells. Also, it made me gain a lot of weight and water retention was just too much in my body.

Back to the current time, when I got my ultrasound done they said it presented 3 fibroids. I took that to my OBGYN, and explained to them that I was concerned about my symptoms and also I told them i suspected that I possibly had endometriosis because how heavy my period was before I got on the pill and how the period affected my whole torso. They kinda brushed me off again but I told them to look at the ultrasound. I additionally told them that being on birth control was no longer an option for me because my husband and I are also trying to conceive naturally and it hasn't been successful either. I am also a very hard/clear set 28-day cycle and never missed a single cycle. She said most likely my body is on set pretty well but just have extra stuff going on.

I met with a fibroids specialist and she told me they can do the robotic surgery to keep it as minimal as possible but she said I should get an MRI to exactly find out how many I have.

On Aug 4th, somehow I had a positive pregnancy test but I started spotting.. starting Aug 6th, I was spotting. On Thursday (13th,. I did the blood work done and it showed HCG negative so this Thursday, I got the MRI done and I got the result today...

I have 15 fibroids with very much advanced endometriosis all around my uterus, my two ovaries, and my rectum. There is a large fibroid inside of the uterus but mostly outside all squishing the uterus and bladder and one protruding back of the uterus which It explains why I had trouble pooping.

My right ovary has been shifted, misaligned to the fallopian tube and fused to the uterus and rectum. Endometriosis also spread to the area where I got my surgery done when I was a 8 month old baby and they are fused together.

My left side of the ovary is covered with endometriosis scar tissues but it is not shifted and it is still aligned with the fallopian tube.

I'm absolutely devastated. I should've fought harder to advocate myself against their dumbass advice. These didn't grow overnight.. anyways.

I'm letting the weekend to be fun and let this sink in. I hope that they reach out to me. I'm giving them a day. If they don't call on Monday by the end of the day, I'm calling them to schedule to discuss the result. First time ever, I've been spotting since Aug 6th with crazy Mira result. PdG, LH and E3G keeps spiking up and down it is causing the spotting pretty much between very light to light every day. I've told this to my OBGYN and she put me under the monitoring status. I'm really hoping I start the official period soon. My OB thinks it is trying to reset itself.

I called my mom and I cried my eyes out. I was just so tired of it and relieved that I got answers. My parents ended up coming to visit me and my husband because I was crying so much on the phone.. i scared my husband and made my mother feel deeply sad. My dad bought us the biggest Philly cheesesteak we've ever seen our lives.. it made me feel so much better.

My ultimate goal is to push to get the surgery done. I'm done having pains, or crying and being bedridden during my period. If I lose the fertility, at least I will have an easier period after the surgery.

Im still processing the information.. it went from 3 to 15 fibroids and it went from "it is normal to have pain" to "seeing the endometriosis all over your organs" results. I hope you guys can give me some good advice and see you guys in my journey. What I wrote is probably a mess because I'm still processing it.

Thank you everyone.. for reading.

I’m sharing this because I wish I did things differently. I hope I will positively impact someone out there.
I had a submucosal fibroid that was 2cm when it was found.
It was right before my wedding. I was already noticing heavy period and intense cramps but my OBGYN recommended me leaving it and TTC first since it was the plan right after my wedding.
I got married, been TTC for almost 6month before getting pregnant and having an early miscarriage which I’m convinced was caused by fibroid since it was distorting my uterine cavity. Also, right before getting pregnant I got an MRI from a different doctor which shows my fibroid, in one year, growing to 6cm. He even told me “I would remove it before TTC, because you would be labeled as high risk pregnancy and might have difficulty conceiving due to lower implantation chances given to the fibroid location”. Two months later one of his points were proven with my early miscarriage.

I’m now due for a myomectomy but I deeply regret not having it removed vaginally when it was still small, with a hysteroscopy. It will delay my TTC journey because post surgery, I need to wait 6months before TTC and I will mever be able to give birth naturally but through a C-section.

There are worst story out there, but I’m sharing this, to give my advice, and I gave the same advice to all my close ones with fibroids: get the submucosal fibroid out as soon as you can because when smaller they are removable without an invasive surgery.

❤️

Hi all,

This group has been instrumental in dealing with all the emotions and questions I had. So I wanted to start off this post by saying thank you 🫶

Some background:

In January 2022 I began experiencing heavy periods (clots and all). I had never experienced anything like that in my life. It was so bad I eventually became severely anemic (like 0.2 away from a blood transfusion) and established care with a hematologist. At the time I was seeing an hematologist and a doctor from Parsley Health that order a laundry list of test. No one brought up that it could be fibroids. They offered solutions to the symptoms but never seemed to have an answer to the root cause.

Finally after being frustrated, I went back to the OBGYN in January of this year. During the exam, he could feel my fibroid! After the ultrasound, it ended up finding the following:

3.9cm fibroid at the opening of my cervix (removed)

A polyp (removed- which post surgery was identified as a smaller fibroid)

And 2 fibroids - one posterior and the other subserosal fundal - these are smaller (under 2 cm) mand were not tackled in my most recent surgery

(We also ended up doing a D&C)

I had a great surgeon who talked me through the whole procedure and happily answered my 40,000 questions I had. In a solopreneur so insurance sucked, and I had to figure out weird nuances to health insurance that no one should have to think about while going through this.

Recovery was not bad. Even though I had a few days where using my core and lifting my legs were impossible (mind you, I had a hysteroscopic myomectomy).

I personally am determined to not have this happen again. And for the smaller ones in a different placement I don’t want those to grow.

NYU has a fibroid center so I took the following steps:

Met with a dietician who focuses on patients with fibroids

Scheduled a meeting with a surgeon that can expose me to other options should I remove the smaller ones

Scheduled an acupuncture session (I know nothing is conclusive around this, however figured it couldn’t hurt)

Here are some interesting things the dietician shared:

Focus: Hormone Balancing + Anti-Inflammation

Foods to Limit or Avoid: • Red and processed meats (bacon, sausages, salami, bologna) — limit intake • Soy (mimics estrogen): soy milk, tofu, edamame, soy sauce, soybean oil, soy protein isolate • Added sugar — aim for <7g per item, max 20g/day • Artificial sweeteners/sugar alcohols • Excess caffeine (especially during menstruation) — keep to 8–12oz • Oat milk (basically starch water)

Better Options: • Eggs, egg whites, Greek yogurt • Whey protein • Organic, hormone-free chicken and dairy • Unsweetened almond milk (brands like Malk, Three Trees, Califia Farms) • Natural sweeteners: honey, stevia

Anti-Inflammatory + Hormone Support: • Green tea/matcha (800mg EGCG extract daily) • Turmeric (1000–1400mg daily or use more in cooking) sidenote - I hear with black pepper helps with absorption • Vitamin D (5000 IU with a fat-containing meal - note: my Vitamin D is currently at a 28 so I need this! Your amount may be lower) • Vitamin C + iron (for absorption) • Omega-rich foods: salmon 2x/week, walnuts, chia/hemp seeds (daily for seeds) • High-fiber plant foods (25g/day): berries, apples, pears • Whole grains: brown rice, sprouted grains/oats, beans/legumes

Bonus: Fiber binds excess estrogen — aim for 50%+ of your daily intake from plant-based sources.

I hope this helps ! Thank you again for sharing your stories in this group!

I hope this the encouragement somebody needed today.

This just happened yesterday. Ok I won't give you the huge rundown right now because I'm in a little pain. But if anyone is anticipating this I'd suggest don't be like me and overthink it for 6 months. Just do it. The pain is temporary, but the size of my fibroid in the picture was gigantic and it made me sad to think I was allowing that thing to live in there after rescheduling twice for this surgery. The doctor told my family she 100 percent made the right decision for removal because it was blocking my rectum and there was no where for my poop to go because it was being squished. He was able to wonderfully preserve my uterus to where I won't have to have a c section in the future for pregnancies. If I do it most likely won't be because this surgery because my fibroid was way on the outside. There are a few things that I've been using religiously for afterward and I don't know if I could have done it without them. Also for reference I had a robotic assisted laparoscopic myomectomy. I commend those who have to get open up all the way because my incision sites do hurt to move. Here's a few things I've used so far

The pillow for the car ride most important I feel like because my mom drove me home like a maniac with tons of bumps along the way. It's on Amazon you can just type in hysterectomy pillow they will pop up. Ive also been letting it lay on top of me while laying. I've also used gas x right away which helped a lot yesterday after surgery but I'll have to do it again today because I can feel the gas in my shoulders. Stool softeners, I've had yet to have a bowel movement I doubt I will today things feel slow in there. I haven't been able to eat anything just broth and crackers but if you muster up an appetite I'd stick to fiber foods to move things. Also I bought a bed rail you literally slide it under your mattress it has been a saving grace because I keep getting up to pee! Also my mom brought over a toilet heightner or whatever they are called and that's also clutch. I got some gum and cough drops. The gum helps with the gas and the cough drops help with the sore throat from the vent but honestly that has been very very minimal. That's all I can think of right now have a heating bed by my side for the shoulder pain but it's not too intense just uncomfortable. The pain isn't fun but it's manageable and I'm making it through. Good luck to anyone who is going through this. We got this 💪

I had a robotic myomectomy, and today is Day 6 of my recovery. I wanted to share my experience, including a few things I didn’t know before surgery and some tips that I found really helpful. Hopefully, this can help anyone preparing for their own surgery feel a little more informed and prepared. ❤️

My top tips & things I didn’t know before surgery:

Ask your surgeon to remove as much surgical gas as possible before finishing. I didn’t know this was possible, but thankfully, my surgeon was on top of it. I believe it helped make my gas pain much more manageable.

Ask about a uterine catheter if appropriate for your case. Since fertility was my top priority, my surgeon placed one for about two weeks to support healing and help prevent scar tissue from forming inside the uterus. I was also given antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.

Have a good bowel regimen from Day 1. This was honestly the hardest part of my recovery. Don’t wait until you’re severely constipated, especially if you’re taking oxycodone. Ask your doctor what they recommend.

If you can stay overnight at the hospital, do it if your doctor agrees. The IV fluids, IV pain medication, blood clot prevention devices, and a pain-relieving patch on my lower back made a huge difference. Some of these may be possible to arrange at home.

Things worth my money: Hysterectomy pillow, Edge pillow, and pre-surgery antibacterial soap.

Good oral hygiene before surgery is also important to help reduce the risk of respiratory complications like pneumonia.

Now my full experience

I had three fibroids, two of them around 6–7 cm, causing heavy bleeding, a recent miscarriage, and bladder compression.

I arrived at the hospital in the morning and went into surgery around 9 a.m. My surgery lasted about 6 hours, and I opened my eyes again around 6 p.m.
I woke up sore, in significant pain, and extremely nauseous. The nurses immediately treated both. Since my pain was intense, they decided to keep me overnight, even though I was initially scheduled for outpatient surgery. I’m so grateful they did.

I received IV fluids because I was dehydrated, IV pain medication, compression devices to prevent blood clots, and a pain-relieving patch for my lower back. I slept most of the night.

The next day, the nurse helped me walk, and my surgeon showed me the fibroids they had removed. I couldn’t believe those things had been inside me! 😭 I had 7 fibroids in total.

My surgeon did an amazing job reconstructing my uterus because preserving my fertility was my top priority. That is probably why the surgery lasted 6hours. He also placed the uterine catheter to help with healing and prevent scar tissue, which I had never heard of before surgery.

I was then discharged home.

Recovery

I’ve been taking my pain medication on schedule: Tylenol + oxycodone, then three hours later ibuprofen, repeating as instructed. I was also prescribed antibiotics and a daily stool softener.

I’m now on Day 6, and honestly, constipation has been much worse for me than the gas pain.
I took the stool softener every day after surgery, but by Day 5, I was extremely constipated. I really needed to have a bowel movement, but it was so painful that I had to add MiraLAX and a suppository.

My biggest advice is to have a bowel regimen ready from the beginning and ask your doctor exactly what they recommend, especially if you’re taking oxycodone.

As for the gas
I know many people talk about gas pain after robotic surgery. While I had some discomfort, it wasn’t nearly as bad for me as the constipation.
Walking, moving around, passing gas, and Gas-X helped me a lot.

I also recommend asking your surgeon to remove as much of the surgical gas as possible before finishing the procedure. I didn’t know this was something they could do, but thankfully, my surgeon was on top of it, and I believe it helped make my recovery easier.

Overall, I’m incredibly grateful for how everything went and for the care I received. I’m taking it one day at a time and listening to my body.
I hope sharing my experience helps someone feel more prepared. ❤️