Myomectomy during pregnancy: A systematic review

Uterine fibroids affect 2-10 % of pregnant women. Although usually asymptomatic, they may be associated with pregnancy complications. Myomectomy is preferably avoided antenatally, however, it has been reported in symptomatic cases that did not respond to conservative management. The aim of this study was to summarize the published literature and present the reported outcomes and associated risks of this procedure.

A systematic research of the literature was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library, including case reports and case series. An effort was made to numerically analyse all parameters included in the case reports.

Overall, 54 relevant articles were identified, including 97 patients. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 13 (range 6-26) weeks, while the median age at myomectomy was 16 (range 6-26) weeks. Abdominal pain, not responding to medical treatment was the most common indication for surgery. The median number of fibroids removed per patient was one (range 1-5). Most of them were subserous pedunculated or subserous and fundal. Laparotomy (78.4 %) was the principal surgical approach, however, laparoscopic and vaginal operations were also reported. The median duration of surgery was 53 (range 20-150) min. The histopathology revealed necrosis and degeneration as the main findings of removed fibroids. The pregnancy outcome was favourable in most of the cases, with few complications reported.

Based on the limited published data, myomectomy during pregnancy appears as a safe procedure in cases of symptomatic uterine fibroids not responding to conservative management and therefore it may be considered, following appropriate counselling regarding the associated risks.