Pregnancy after polyp removal: difficulties and optimal timing for conception

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

When planning a child, a woman may face a number of gynecological problems that prevent a long-awaited pregnancy. Among such pathologies, which until recently was considered one of the main causes of infertility, is the endometrial polyp. Thanks to modern methods of treatment, today a woman with such a diagnosis may well become pregnant, endure and give birth to a he althy child. However, in some cases, she will have to face certain difficulties. About whether pregnancy is possible after removal of the polyp and after what time it is recommended to plan conception, we will tell in our article.

What is a polyp?

In gynecological practice, there are a number of reasons why a long-awaited pregnancy does not occur. One of them isthe presence of a small growth on the inner lining of the uterine mucosa. This neoplasm is a polyp. It is a benign body consisting of endometrial cells, the size of which varies from 1-2 mm to the size of a walnut.

Polyp - an outgrowth of the mucous membrane of an oval shape on a leg. Even if its size is no larger than a pea, it will interfere with the attachment of a fertilized egg to the uterine endometrium. Sometimes polyps are formed not only in the uterine cavity, but also in the cervical canal. Such a neoplasm is not always an obstacle to pregnancy, but it can be a threat to its normal course.

Most often, an endometrial polyp does not cause any discomfort to a woman. It is usually discovered by chance during a regular medical checkup or examination due to the fact that pregnancy does not occur for a long period of time.

Symptoms of pathology

There are no characteristic signs of the appearance of a polyp on the uterine mucosa. However, most women experience a number of symptoms that may be caused by comorbidities:

• drawing pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation or before its onset;
• spotting vaginal discharge that starts some time before the onset of menstruation and ends after them;
• blood after intercourse;
• long-term menstruation with scanty discharge;
• abundant curdledgrayish-white discharge with an unpleasant odor.

If a neoplasm was discovered during the examination after several unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child, all women, without exception, are concerned about the question of how soon to expect pregnancy after removal of the polyp. In this case, much depends on the individual characteristics of the organism and the timing of the recovery period. It is necessary to strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations and not give up hormone therapy.

Causes of endometrial polyp formation

Doctors still cannot say exactly why growths appear on the inner layer of the uterine mucosa. But there are a number of predisposing factors that contribute to this:

1. Hormonal disorders.
2. Injury to the endometrium during curettage (abortion).
3. Chronic pelvic inflammation.

All of these problems are most often detected in women who have already given birth. They have problems when planning the next pregnancy. After removing the polyp in the uterus, they will be able to conceive and give birth to a long-awaited child without any problems. Women with metabolic disorders, overweight and a history of diabetes are also at risk.

Treatment methods and consequences

The only way to get rid of a polyp is to remove it surgically. But since in gynecological practice there have been cases of resorption of neoplasms found in the current menstrual cycle, resorting to such radical treatment optionsrecommended after next period.

Removal of polyps is performed by several methods, the choice of which depends on several factors:

• general clinical picture;
• results of laboratory and instrumental studies;
• nature of neoplasm;
• risks of malignant transformation.

A removed polyp must be sent for histology. And only according to its results can we talk about planning a pregnancy. After removal of a glandular type polyp, conception may have to be postponed indefinitely, since this neoplasm has great prerequisites for degeneration into a malignant tumor.

The following methods are distinguished for removing growths on the mucosa:

1. Hysteroscopy. The advantage of this procedure is the possibility of simultaneous diagnosis and removal of the polyp using powerful optical equipment. When performing this endoscopic technique, the doctor accurately sees the location of the neoplasm and removes it along with the stem under the root.
2. Curettage. The next procedure is a surgical curettage of the uterine cavity. The technique has a number of disadvantages due to the high risk of infection and recurrence of polyposis.
3. Polypectomy. This common surgical technique involves twisting the stem of the polyp until it is torn off. Then the attachment site is treated with liquid nitrogen or electrodes.
4. Ablation of the uterine cavity. The presented method is applied only to women of mature age who have a high risk oftransformation into cancer. The procedure uses high-frequency radio waves, a laser, liquid nitrogen, or electrodes. The disadvantage of the technique is that pregnancy does not occur after it has been carried out.
5. Hysterectomy. During this operation, the uterus is removed along with the appendages.

Is it possible to conceive immediately after the operation

After the removal of the polyp before pregnancy, a certain recovery stage must go through. On average, it is 2-3 months. At this time, a woman should avoid sexual intercourse, physical activity, sports, exclude hot baths, baths and saunas. This will prevent infection of the wound formed during the operation to remove the endometrial polyp in the uterus.

Pregnancy after surgery can be difficult. That is why the recovery period, during which hormonal and antibiotic therapy is prescribed, is mandatory.

Many women often ask their doctor about whether pregnancy can occur immediately after the removal of the polyp. Yes, indeed, it is possible. The probability of conception is quite high even before the onset of the first menstruation after surgery. But, firstly, the very fact of conception is a violation of the doctor's recommendations. And secondly, in order to avoid complications during gestation with pregnancy, it is better to wait after all.

When can I plan a pregnancy after polyp removal?

The body of every woman has its own characteristics. Therefore, no doctor can give an exact answer to the question of when the pregnancy will occur after the removal of the polyp, after how many months this will happen. One thing is clear that this will happen when the body is fully restored after the operation and is ready to bear the baby.

You can talk about pregnancy after removal of a polyp of the cervical canal or endometrium after 1-3 menstrual cycles. It is worth noting that conception can occur as early as the next cycle after the removal of the build-up, but whether a woman can bear a child in this case is a moot point. This is explained by the fact that one of the sections of the uterine mucosa was injured.

Before planning pregnancy, you must:

• do a vaginal ultrasound;
• make sure there are no inflammatory diseases in the pelvis;
• get tested for infections;
• check your hormones.

If the results of the studies are normal, and the woman herself does not complain about her well-being, the gynecologist will allow her to start planning a pregnancy. By the way, you should not delay this process either, since such a disease has a tendency to relapse.

What is the difficulty in conceiving?

In most cases, the removal of simple polyps does not lead to any negative consequences. In the future, this does not interfere with the normal bearing of the child. Usually afterpolyp removal, pregnancy occurs in the first 6 months after surgery. However, there are a number of factors that can delay conception indefinitely. These include:

1. Hormonal disorders. An unstable level of sex hormones is one of the prerequisites for the formation of polyps in the body. For the same reason, if the hormonal background is not restored after the operation, relapses of polyposis are possible.
2. Adhesion processes. Adhesions are formed as a result of trauma to the uterus during curettage. In the future, a successful pregnancy is possible only after their removal.
3. Infections. Any operation negatively affects the state of a woman's immunity. In such conditions, there is a high probability of infection joining. If they are not cured before the onset of pregnancy, complications such as early miscarriages, infection of the embryo and fetus, intrauterine malformations are possible in the process of bearing the fetus. That is why conception should be planned only after antibiotic therapy is completed.
4. Small bleeding. The result of anemic internal bleeding can be a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood and the volume of red blood cells. In this condition, pregnancy is difficult, and if it does occur, then there is a high risk of developing hypoxia in the fetus.
5. General malaise. Stressful situations, lack of sleep, unbalanced nutrition - all this leads to disruption of the menstrual cycle and prevents normal conception. After removal of the polyp, it is recommended to maintain a he althylifestyle, give up bad habits and plan to conceive 3 months after surgery.

Features of pregnancy

Fetaling after removal of a polyp usually occurs without any nuances if the woman has fully recovered from the operation and has undergone appropriate medical treatment. Perhaps, more attention will be paid to her during the management of pregnancy, which is associated with the recurrent nature of the pathology.

In medical practice, relapses of polyposis occur quite often. Therefore, if at the next ultrasound it is revealed that a polyp has grown again in the uterine cavity or in the cervical canal, you should not worry. Usually this does not affect the course of pregnancy. The cervical polyp consists of the same cells as the inner surface of the uterus, so it does not pose any threat to the development of the baby, unless its size exceeds 1 cm.

Thus, pregnancy after removal of the polyp is no different from the usual one and in most cases passes without any complications.

Prevention measures

Minimize the risk of polyps in a woman's body will help the following actions:

1. Regular visits to the gynecologist 2 times a year. Preventive examinations and examinations for hormones and infections will help reduce the number of prerequisites for the formation of polyps.
2. Timely treatment of identified infections and hormonalviolations.
3. Prevention of abortion. Nothing so traumatizes the endometrium as the procedure for curettage of the uterine cavity.
4. Intimate hygiene.
5. Immediate medical attention for spotting between periods or nagging pain in the lower abdomen.

Despite everything, a woman should not panic if she has a polyp in her uterus. Pregnancy after removal of such a neoplasm usually occurs fairly quickly. Modern methods of treating the growth allow you to get rid of it without injuring the inner layer of the uterus.

Polyp removal: reviews of pregnancy after surgery

Most women who have undergone surgery to remove an endometrial neoplasm note that this pathology is quite treatable. Many of them had a successful pregnancy already in the next menstrual cycle after the abolition of hormonal drugs. After the removal of the endometrial polyp, literally every woman took antibiotics and contraceptives. This is one of the prerequisites for the recovery of the body after the operation.

For a successful pregnancy, it is important that both partners are he althy at the time of conception. If you look for new reasons for not getting pregnant, then during this time the polyp can form again. This is the problem that some women faced as early as 1 year after the previous surgery.