Robin Ryan of Trumbull, Conn., had never heard of uterine fibroids when she was diagnosed with them during a routine gynecological examination. Since she was asymptomatic and was planning to have children in the future, Ryan and her doctor decided to just watch and wait. In 2002, she had no problem conceiving. The pregnancy wasn't as simple.

"I had an awful pregnancy because of the fibroids," Ryan says. "I was hospitalized twice, once at seven months because of early labor and had to be on bed rest for two months until the baby was born. My doctor said that the combined size of the baby at seven months gestation and the fibroids 'tricked' my body into thinking it was time to give birth."

Later, Ryan underwent a myomectomy to have her fibroids removed. She and her husband do want another child, but aren't sure if her ability to conceive will be affected by the procedure.

Dr. Bruce McLucas, assistant clinical professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA, says Ryan's experience is typical, in that uterine fibroids aren't usually an issue of initial fertility, but rather one of miscarriage and preterm labor. But the available treatments are a roll of the dice as far as fertility is concerned.

Uterine fibroids are benign growths of the muscle wall of the uterus. Most likely genetic in origin, they are extremely common and usually symptom free. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 77 percent of women in the United States have fibroid growths. Of that number, it is estimated that 25 percent experience symptoms.

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