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Uterine fibroids and hysterectomy - Complications

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of uterine fibroids

Alternative Names

Hysterectomy and uterine fibroids; Leiomyoma; Myoma

Complications:

Effect on Fertility

Most fibroids appear to have only a small effect on a woman� ' s fertility. Female infertility is usually due to other factors than fibroids.

Effect on Pregnancy

Fibroids may increase pregnancy complications and delivery risks. These may include:

Cesarean section delivery
Breech presentation (baby enters the birth canal upside down with feet or buttocks emerging first)
Preterm birth
Placenta previa (placenta covers the cervix)
Excessive bleeding after giving birth (postpartum hemorrhage)

Anemia

Anemia due to iron deficiency can develop if fibroids cause excessive bleeding. Oddly enough, smaller fibroids, usually submucous, are more likely to cause abnormally heavy bleeding than larger ones.

Most cases of anemia are mild and can be treated with dietary changes and iron supplements. However, prolonged and severe anemia that is not treated can cause heart problems. [For more information, see In-Depth Report #57: Anemia.]

Urinary Tract Infection

Large fibroids that press against the bladder occasionally result in urinary tract infections. Pressure on the ureters may cause urinary obstruction and kidney damage.

The female and male urinary tracts are relatively the same except for the length of the urethra.

Uterine Cancer

Fibroids are nearly always noncancerous, even if they have abnormal cell shapes. Cancer of the uterus nearly always develops in the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer). Only in rare cases (fewer than 0.1%) does cancer develop from a malignant change in a fibroid (called leiomyosarcoma). Nevertheless, rapidly enlarging fibroids in a premenopausal woman or even slowly enlarging fibroids in a postmenopausal woman need evaluation to rule out cancer.

Uterine cancer
Click the icon to see an image of uterine cancer.

Resources

www.asrm.com -- American Society for Reproductive Medicine
www.acog.org -- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
www.sirweb.org -- Society of Interventional Radiology
www.nuff.org -- National Uterine Fibroids Foundation
www.rsna.org -- Radiological Society of North America
www.radiologyinfo.org -- Radiology info from the American College of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America
www.womenshealth.gov -- National Women's Health Information Center
www.nichd.nih.gov -- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

References

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG practice bulletin. Alternatives to hysterectomy in the management of leiomyomas. Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Aug;112(2 Pt 1):387-400.

Edwards RD, Moss JG, Lumsden MA, Wu O, Murray LS, Twaddle S, et al. Uterine-artery embolization versus surgery for symptomatic uterine fibroids. N Engl J Med. 2007 Jan 25;356(4):360-70.

Evans P, Brunsell S. Uterine fibroid tumors: diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2007 May 15;75(10):1503-8.

Gabriel-Cox K, Jacobson GF, Armstrong MA, Hung YY, Learman LA. Predictors of hysterectomy after uterine artery embolization for leiomyoma. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Jun;196(6):588.e1-6.

Griffiths A, D'Angelo A, Amso N. Surgical treatment of fibroids for subfertility. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jul 19;3:CD003857.

Hehenkamp WJ, Volkers NA, Donderwinkel PF, de Blok S, Birnie E, Ankum WM, et al. Uterine artery embolization versus hysterectomy in the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids (EMMY trial): peri- and postprocedural results from a randomized controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Nov;193(5):1618-29.

Jacoby VL, Grady D, Sawaya GF. Oophorectomy as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Feb;200(2):140.e1-9. Epub 2008 Nov 18.

Kaunitz AM. Progestin-releasing intrauterine systems and leiomyoma. Contraception. 2007 Jun;75(6 Suppl):S130-3. Epub 2007 Mar 9.

Kaunitz AM, Meredith S, Inki P, Kubba A, Sanchez-Ramos L. Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system and endometrial ablation in heavy menstrual bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2009 May;113(5):1104-16.

Lethaby A, Ivanova V, Johnson NP. Total versus subtotal hysterectomy for benign gynaecological conditions. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Apr 19;(2):CD004993.

Olive DL, Lindheim SR, Pritts EA. Conservative surgical management of uterine myomas. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2006 Mar;33(1):115-24.

Parker WH, Broder MS, Chang E, Feskanich D, Farquhar C, Liu Z, et al. Ovarian conservation at the time of hysterectomy and long-term health outcomes in the nurses' health study. Obstet Gynecol. 2009 May;113(5):1027-37.

Rackow BW, Arici A. Options for medical treatment of myomas. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2006 Mar;33(1):97-113.

Smart OC, Hindley JT, Regan L, Gedroyc WG. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and magnetic-resonance-guided ultrasound surgery for uterine leiomyomata. Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Jul;108(1):49-54.

Van Voorhis B. A 41-year-old woman with menorrhagia, anemia, and fibroids: review of treatment of uterine fibroids. JAMA. 2009 Jan 7;301(1):82-93. Epub 2008 Dec 2.

Viswanathan M, Hartmann K, McKoy N, Stuart G, Rankins N, Thieda P, et al. Management of uterine fibroids: an update of the evidence. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep). 2007 Jul;(154):1-122.

Volkers NA, Hehenkamp WJ, Birnie E, Ankum WM, Reekers JA. Uterine artery embolization versus hysterectomy in the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids: 2 years' outcome from the randomized EMMY trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Jun;196(6):519.e1-11.

Reviewed last on: 8/5/2009
Reviewed by Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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