Myomectomy – My Experience, The Decision

I knew I had fibroids in April 2010, when I was about 14 weeks pregnant. During my first ante-natal visit, I was subjected a physical exam (which at that time I thought was very invasive, naively, not knowing there were even more invasive tests that I will have to endure as pregnancy progressed and just for being a woman) and a scan, the Ob-Gyn told me lightly that I shouldn’t worry about the fibroids because they were small and out of my uterus. He was surprised to learn I wasn’t even aware I had fibroids, because he thought I would have had signs prior to being pregnant. All the OB-Gyns I met as my pregnancy progressed in Kenya, Cameroon and US assured me the fibroids will not interfere with my pregnancy or birthing. 

Fast forward two years after I had my baby I went in for another check. I was informed there are still two fibroids but they were positioned in a way that I couldn’t conceive and even if I did I’ll lose the baby. The OB-Gyn and Lab Tech were both surprised when I told them I had a baby with those same two fibroids. Subsequently over the next couple of years I saw a few more Gynecologists who gave me conflicting information about the position of the fibroids and their effect on conception. However they all agreed on the number of fibroids and the need for surgery, which I wasn’t considering at that time.

In May 2018, someone gave me the contact to an Ob-Gyn in Yaounde, Cameroon. I went in for a check and he strongly suggested surgery after a series of tests and consultations. He took time to explain the pros and cons to me and why it was his professional suggestion for surgery. I did a lot of research and had a list of questions (refer to the next article) ready for him. He was more convincing than the others, and after talking with a few other gynecologists, I decided to go for myomectomy and laparoscopy. The moment I made this decision, I felt a kind of peace, shalom peace, and I knew I was making the right decision.