'Amazing': Doctor protects mom and baby while removing 27-lb uterine fibroid

A pregnant woman refused an abortion and underwent a successful surgery to remove uterine fibroids weighting 27 pounds.

Key Takeaways:

• Brionna Johnson was pregnant with her second baby when she began to experience symptoms from a large uterine fibroid.

• Doctors advised her to have an abortion and then a hysterectomy. She refused.

• She sought a second opinion, and found a doctor who safely removed the fibroid at 17 weeks of pregnancy, and protected her baby.

The Details:

After Brionna Johnson became pregnant with her second child, she began suffering symptoms related to large fibroids that had been discovered in October of 2024. Doctors advised her to have an abortion followed by a hysterectomy to remove the fibroids and prevent future ones.

"Hysterectomy would be my best option," she told ABC7, "and I was like, 'absolutely not.'"

Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths in the uterine wall that can grow large enough to press on surrounding organs and cause pain, heavy bleeding, and other issues. Johnson had never had symptoms before, but after becoming pregnant with her second child, she began experiencing pain, prompting her to see her doctors.

After being told to have an abortion, she sought a second opinion.

Johnson saw Dr. Pierre Johnson at Loretto Hospital in Chicago, who operated to remove the fibroids while she was 17 weeks pregnant. Through a small incision, he was able to remove the 27 pound fibroid without harming the baby.

Pregnant woman has 27-pound fibroid removed at Chicago hospital

In a video posted on Instagram, he described it as "the most amazing, unbelievable case of my career."

Johnson is expected to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.

"I'm starting to feel the flutters and the movement; it's just all surreal that I woke up and got a new lease on life and opportunity at motherhood," she said.

Dr. Johnson said, "Her outlook is phenomenal; she's in her second trimester of pregnancy. Now she can breathe; she can walk. She can move."

Why It Matters:

Doctors are often quick to tell a pregnant mother to undergo an abortion when a medical issue occurs during pregnancy.

But if there is a way to work to treat both mother and child as patients with value, then this is clearly the best option for all. It is important to note that there is a clear moral difference between intentionally killing a preborn baby through abortion and attempting to save a mother's life through medical procedures that carry a risk of pregnancy loss.

Johnson urged women to find a doctor who will listen to them. She is due in August, is expected to have a healthy pregnancy, and her fertility is preserved, thanks to one doctor who valued both lives.