Uterine Fibroids & Ovary Cysts Genetic?

I am 42 and have just been diagnosed with 4 small uterine fibroids and an ovarian cyst. I have been told that it is hereditary as my mother had 1 large fibroid about the size of a grapefruit which lead to a hystorectomy in her early thirtys. I however did not have any trouble conceiving as I did not have these problems in my twentys. But, I too worry about my two daughters and what they may suffer when they get older.

My OB found 1 or 2 small fibroids after I delivered my son, but they never bothered me and did not cause any problems conceiving, my son was a surprise. My mom has issues with fibroids and had a hysterectomy a few years ago. I have been on hormone therapy for years for mild endometriosis and have not had any other problems, but you bring up a good point. I will definitely discuss my risks at my next OB/GYN appointment!

Wow! I feel your pain, literally. My grandmother had 7 children, but always had plumbing problems. She is Germana nd stubborn so she never sawa doctor for the issue before menopause. My aunt had to have a hysterectomy at 29 with the birth of her second child due to fibroids, ovarian cysts, and the likelihood of cervical cancer. My mom then had fibroids, ovarian cysts, and had a hysterectomy at the age of 45 after having 3 children. I wasn't as lucky as any of them. After 3 miscarriages, I finally got pregnant again and had a son 6 years ago. While I am very thankful for having one, I am saddened that I will never have another. I am 32 and had a hysterectomy 2 weeks ago. I had the fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and the signs of cervical cancer like my aunt. My cervical problem was due to complications in the delivery of my son, but the uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts were most likely inherited. My doctor is really good and open with me. He says that they don't know a lot about fibroids (we tried other surgeries first to rid me of them). They are believed to be inherited, and more common for black women than any other race. I understand that you want to plan ahead for your daughter, but all you can do is stay informed and make her physicians aware of the possibility. My sister, along with my 4 other aunts, have never had complications. So while it can be inherited, it doesn't always have to be. There are several websites that are accurate on these topics. You can try
www.fibroids.com
www.hystersisters.com/
women.webmd.com/ovarian-cysts
There are more cites to get info, but these are some really good ones. Good luck!

Well, I have some personal, as well as professional observations. My mother had a hysterectomy due to a large fibroid at around 37 - I am 38 and have 1 very small fibroid. She was extremely fertile, and it took me a year the 1st time, fairly easily the 2nd.
I do ultrasounds for an ob/gyn office, also. Yes, fibroids do tend to be hereditary, but not necessariy - and possibly not to the same extent. Depending on if you had polycystic ovaries, that can cause irregular periods and can have difficulty conceiving. If that was the case, PCOS doesn't seem to be hereditary. I should also mention that some cysts are normal, they are follicles that hold the eggs. A follicle gets large until ovulation, when it ruptures to release the egg.
I had a friend many years ago who had a "tipped" uterus (probably retroverted), and was told she would never get pregnant. She has 2 children. Anymore, it doesn't seem that a retroverted uterus has as much affect as once thought, and it doesn't seem to be hereditary.
Your daughter can always request a pelvic ultrasound if she has any concerns.

I am not sure if it is genetic. I had mine before my mother had hers. But I didn't have any problems conceiving.

I'm a little late coming in, but I just found out I'm menopausal at 27! We got through family history for 5 generations on both sides, including aunts & cousins and found out every lady had hysterectomies by their mid-30s (the oldest was 37, and my mom has not yet had hers due to no insurance, but should have had one around age 30). It's definitely hereditary in my family, but I'm working with a naturopath (huge thanks to one of the ladies here who suggested her!) and my chiropractor and hopefully will be back to "normal" within a couple of months.

We have had trouble conceiving, but it's b/c I'm not ovulating. We've been trying for over 2 years for #2, and I was off BC for about 2 years when we found out about our son. We were in the mindset of whatever happens happens, and had just decided to go back on bc when I found out I was prego instead!

I'm curious to see what the other ladies responded and hope to find more answers than what I've got so far.

Hi L. ~ None of the symptoms you have are hereditary, just very common. There are four different ways your uterus can be tilted. My mom didnt have the uterine fibroids, but I did... my daughter does. If your daughter has anything like that, it's just because it is a very common occurrence. Im glad you asked the questions; not all of the readers are young moms, just a lot of them. It's nice to know there are older moms ... their experiences are good to learn from as well! Take care!

I have uterine fibriods and ovarian cysts, as did my birth mother. My understanding is that it is mostly hereditary. I have never had a normal cycle because of them, which made it hard to know when I was pregnent. It took 6 months of trying before we concieved. I was never able to use birth control.

I had ovarian cysts & ended up losing my ovaries because of them. But my mom didn't have any & my sister didn't either, they both just looked at their husbands & were pregnant!:-)
We finally adopted & have two beautiful little ones.

My mother had a tipped uterus, and she said that the dr. blamed child birth for it! My uterus is also tipped, and yes I did have some trouble concieving. although i don't know if mine was already tipped before pregnancy or if it happened from child birth. I too was thought to have cysts on my ovaries, but was told and read up on it, that it is quite common to have cysts on your ovaries, even monthly from ovulation, and that BC pills increase these cysts. the csyts usually disipate after your period, but sometimes they don't and can cause cancerous cells, bad pap smears, and also makes the ovary feel enlarged which can concern your Dr. as they can't tell during a reg. pelvic exam if it is cysts, or enlarged from cancer!I know I didn't really answer your questions very well, but that's all I know, hope it helps!

I have a retroverted (tilted) uterus as does my mother and grandmother. Our first son was conceived after 1 1/2 of trying and 2nd son from IVF (In vitro fertilization)due to male infertility. Dr. Neal our infertility specialist said my tilted uterus was highly likely to be inhereted. I had one small fibroid that was discovered during IVF but he said it is common in women 30's and up and not hereditary. He said they believe fibroids may develop from exposure to a virus and that other females in the family may also develop them due to their exposure to the same virus. I experienced fluid filled cysts when I was younger and had 4 of them rupture. Depending on the type of cysts that you have depends on whether they are hormone related or PCOS which may have a hereditary factor. Hope this helps.