Systematic review of pregnancy outcomes after fertility-preserving treatment of uterine fibroids

The aim of this study was to compare pregnancy outcomes after medical (ulipristal acetate [UPA]), surgical (myomectomy) and radiological (uterine artery embolization [UAE] or thermal ablation) therapy for fibroids in women. A systematic review was conducted and ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were thoroughly searched from 2000 to 2018. Only primary research was included with independent extraction of articles by two reviewers, using a standardized form. Data were available on 12 pregnancies after treatment with UPA, 1575 after myomectomy, 424 after UAE and 420 after fibroid ablation. Results after UPA therapy were not included in the statistical analysis owing to the limited number of cases; most were ongoing pregnancies. High rates of successful pregnancy were seen after myomectomy (75.6%) and fibroid ablation (70.5%), whereas pregnancies after UAE had the lowest live birth rates (60.6%) and highest miscarriage rates (27.4%) (both P < 0.001 versus other treatments). In conclusion, myomectomy is associated with better pregnancy outcomes than other fertility-preserving treatments for fibroids. At present, UPA is the only medical treatment for fibroids; however, the evidence on pregnancy outcome is limited. In the absence of randomized controlled trials, these data may be of benefit in advising patients about future pregnancy.