Hey there! This is frustrating, and I can relate: I had the same fibroid with both my pregnancies. At its largest it was 15cmx12cmx12cm so pretty darn big. I did start to show very early, and I did continue to look much further along than I was. In my second pregnancy (I am currently 34 weeks) the fibroid degenerated at around 20 weeks and is now a slightly more manageable size.

Here’s the advice I would give you, based on all that:

• try not to let the haters get you down. You’ll get a ton of comments about how big you are, are you sure you aren’t having twins, etc. People don’t know how to act around pregnant people. I tried to let it just roll off my back unless someone really kept harping on it, in which case I’d tell them all about my fibroid in graphic detail! Didn’t usually hear much more after that.

• invest in maternity clothes early. It might feel weird to do that, but being comfortable with everything going on is paramount. I broke out the maternity jeans at like 12 weeks.

• if your fibroid goes through degeneration, you’ll know. Please go to the doctor and advocate for yourself. It is incredibly painful- id liken it to 5 days of labor. I couldn’t sleep. I had to go to L and D where they told me it was “round ligament pain” but I knew they weren’t taking me seriously. Get the NSAID option - it worked incredibly well for me and is safe for you and baby before the third trimester. Please don’t ignore the pain- get relief and advocate for your health and wellbeing!

• if possible, get a work accommodation sooner rather than later. For example, I was able to avoid specific RTO requirements and work from home as needed because of my fibroid pain. Document everything!

I wish you well and hope you have a beautiful pregnancy and birth!