A Chicago-area pregnant woman is recovering after doctors successfully removed a massive 27-pound uterine fibroid while preserving her pregnancy in a rare, high-risk surgery, according to ABC Chicago.
The patient, identified in reports as Brionna Johnson, was about 17 weeks pregnant when she began experiencing severe pain and abdominal swelling caused by multiple large fibroids pressing on her uterus and organs. The large tumor pressed against her organs, causing severe pain, breathing difficulties, and concern among doctors.
Several physicians initially warned her that she may need to terminate the pregnancy and undergo a hysterectomy to remove the growth.
Instead, she sought a second opinion at Loretto Hospital on Chicago’s West Side, where OB-GYN Dr. Pierre Johnson performed the complex operation. Surgeons were able to remove the 27-pound fibroid through a small abdominal incision without disrupting the pregnancy.
Doctors say the case is especially rare because operating on fibroids during pregnancy carries serious risks, including heavy bleeding and miscarriage. Despite those risks, the procedure was successful, and both mother and baby are reported to be doing well.
After the surgery, Johnson said she immediately began feeling fetal movement again and described the outcome as life-changing. Her care team says she is expected to continue a closely monitored but healthy pregnancy going forward.
Johnson also said she felt her baby move shortly afterward, bringing reassurance that the pregnancy was continuing safely.
Johnson’s story is being celebrated as a powerful example of perseverance, second opinions, and skilled medical care, offering hope to other women facing complicated pregnancies and fibroid diagnoses.
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths that are common in women of reproductive age, but large cases like this—especially during pregnancy—are uncommon and medically complex.
The case has drawn attention in Chicago’s medical community for both the size of the fibroid and the successful preservation of the pregnancy.
