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New Delhi: A 40-year-old woman from the Republic of Congo, who had struggled with infertility for nearly 15 years, underwent surgery at a Delhi hospital where doctors removed 13 fibroids from her uterus while preserving the organ and leaving her with the possibility of pursuing pregnancy.
According to Apollo Spectra Hospital in Delhi, the woman had been suffering from excessive and prolonged menstrual bleeding, abdominal pain and anaemia, and had previously undergone IVF, medication and injections in her home country without success.
Her condition worsened when she developed continuous bleeding for nearly 20 days along with fever, prompting her to travel to India for further treatment.
Tests at the hospital found around 13 fibroids in and around her uterus, with the largest measuring about 7.5 cm. The fibroids had enlarged her uterus to nearly the size seen in a four-month pregnancy, while prolonged blood loss had reduced her haemoglobin level to 6.8 g/dL.
Senior Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Dr Megha Mittal performed an open myomectomy, removing all 13 fibroids in a single procedure without removing the uterus.
“Being a complex case due to multiple big fibroids, very severe anaemia, obesity and her longstanding history of infertility, our first goal was to excise all the fibroids from the uterine cavity without harming her uterus and fertility,” Mittal said.
Before the surgery, the patient’s anaemia, bleeding and fever were managed, and her condition was stabilised. She received blood and plasma transfusions before, during and after the procedure.
The operation lasted about two-and-a-half hours, following which the uterus was stitched back and preserved. No serious complications were recorded before or during surgery, the hospital said. Mittal said preserving the uterus was particularly important as the woman wished to conceive.
“Although surgery does not provide a surety of conception, the successful removal of fibroids has ensured that the journey continues,” she said. The woman recovered well and was discharged in stable condition. Her embryos have already been cryopreserved and, after an estimated recovery period of three to four months, she may be considered for embryo transfer, according to the hospital.
The doctor advised women not to ignore symptoms such as excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding, persistent abdominal pain, bloating, weakness and excessive tiredness, which may be associated with fibroids and prolonged blood loss.