Journal of International Reproductive Health/Family Planning ›› 2017, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (3): 219-225.

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Uterine Fibroids and Fertility

YANG Hai-yan,HUANG Xiao-wu   

  1. Hysteroscopic Center,Fuxing Hospital, Capital Medical University,Beijing 100038,China
  • Received:2017-04-05 Revised:2017-05-04 Published:2017-05-15 Online:2017-05-15
  • Contact: HUANG Xiao-wu,E-mail:hxiaowu-fxyy@126.com E-mail:hxiaowu_fxyy@126.com

Abstract: Uterine fibroids are the common tumors in women, twenty to thirty percents of reproductive women suffer from uterine fibroids. The prevalence of uterine fibroid in infertile women is about 5%-10%, while fibroids are the only cause of infertility in about 1.0%-2.4% of them. Fibroids can affect female fertility, which depends on the location and size of fibroids. Submucosal fibroids have an detrimental effect on fertility, subserosal fibroids had a little effects, while the effects of intramural myoma are controversial. The effects of uterine fibroids on female fertility are mainly involved to the alteration of local anatomy and function, immune and endocrine factors. Uterine fibroids in reproductive women may cause infertility, spontaneous  abortion, even   premature rupture of membranes, preterm birth and malpresentation. The treatment strategy of uterine fibroids in reproductive women should be comprehensively considered according to the size and location of fibroids, patients′ age, and fertility demand. The common treatments of uterine fibroids include transabdominal or laparoscopic myomectomy, hysteroscopic myomectomy and transvaginal myomectomy. The medicine treatment is usually used as the preoperative treatment in reproductive women. More attention should be paid to the effect of selected treatment strategy on the reproductive outcomes in those women with fertility demand.

Key words: Leiomyoma, Fertility, Infertility, female, Therapy