The very good news is that most women with fibroids go on to have normal, healthy pregnancies but for a minority of women, fibroids can affect a pregnancy.
There are specific problems related to fibroids and fertility but often these can be overcome.
Of course, one of the best courses of action is to deal with your fibroids before you begin to start trying to conceive.
Although surgery and hormonal treatments are not necessarily the best course of action at this time, you could try using natural strategies to minimize the impact on your (hopefully) forthcoming pregnancy.
However, as with all treatments, you are advised to speak to your doctor first.
Many women used to worry that fibroids would grow in size due to the influence of rising hormones during pregnancy.
Research has shown that most fibroids actually stay the same size and those that do grow will normally shrink to the pre-pregnancy size following delivery.
That said, there are a few ways in which fibroids affect a pregnancy.
Fibroids can cause significant discomfort and pressure as they push on nearby structures.
In addition, if pressing on nerves, they can cause sharp, stabbing pains in the back and legs.
Another issue is "red degeneration" which is a condition whereby fibroids enlarge and the blood supply becomes insufficient and causes bleeding to happen.
This usually happens during the middle trimester and although very painful and distressing, it does usually settle without treatment.
Fibroids affect a pregnancy in terms of early labor.
Many women with fibroids will deliver 2-3 weeks early which rarely causes a problem.
Sometimes, fibroids can cause problems with infertility.
In some women, early miscarriages occur even before the woman knows she is pregnant and this can be due to the size or location of the fibroids.
In addition, fibroids can block the passage of sperm by obstructing the opening of the cervix or the entrance to the fallopian tubes.
Research has also shown that in cases of unexplained fertility, removing the fibroids or shrinking them will increase the chances of conception significantly, with some suggesting as much as 40-80%.
This would indicate that fibroids affect pregnancy in ways we may not fully understand.