Fibroid removal may reduce recurrent miscarriage
4 October 2011
Removal of fibroids that distort the cavity of the uterus may increase the chance of having a live baby in a subsequent pregnancy in women with recurrent miscarriages, researchers say.
Of 966 women referred to a recurrent miscarriage clinic in the UK, 79 (8 per cent) were found to have fibroids. Fibroids that distorted the uterine cavity were removed by surgery (25 women), while fibroids that did not distort the cavity were left (54 women). The group with non-distorting fibroids was compared with a control group of 285 women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage.
Surgical removal of fibroids eliminated any second trimester miscarriages in the women with distorting fibroids and doubled their live birth rate in subsequent pregnancies (Human Reproduction 2011, online 27 Sep).
The other women also experienced a rise in live birth rates, which researchers attributed to the psychological support they received.
Last Reviewed: 07 October 2011
- 1. Saravelos SH, Yan J, Rehmani H, Li TC. The prevalence and impact of fibroids and their treatment on the outcome of pregnancy in women with recurrent miscarriage. Hum Reprod 2011; Sep 27. [Epub ahead of print.] doi: 10.1093/humrep/der293. http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/09/23/humrep.der293.abstract (accessed Oct 2011).
