For many years, the only solution for women suffering from painful or bleeding fibroids (a non-cancerous growth) in the uterus has been hysterectomy - surgery to remove the uterus and sometimes the ovaries.
But now, women who have fibroids have a non-operative alternative to surgery called uterine artery embolization, or uterine fibroid embolization.
What are uterine fibroids?
Fibroids are non-cancerous (benign) growths that develop in the muscle wall of the uterus. Though fibroids don't always cause symptoms, their size and location can lead to problems for some women, including:
- Heavy, prolonged menstrual periods;
- Pelvic pain;
- Pelvic pressure or heaviness;
- Constipation;
- Bladder pressure leading to a constant urge to urinate,
- Pain in the back or legs,
- Pain during sexual intercourse,
- Infertility; and
- An abnormally enlarged abdomen.
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Fibroids range in size from very small to the size of a cantaloupe or larger. In some cases, the fibroids can cause the uterus to be a large as it would be if the women was five months pregnant.
What does fibroid embolization involve?
Fibroid embolization is performed not by a gynecologist, but by an interventional radiologist, a physician who is specially trained to perform this and other minimally invasive procedures. While the patient is conscious but sedated, the interventional radiologist makes a tiny incision (less than one-eighth of an inch) in the groin and inserts a tiny tube (the size of a strand of spaghetti) called a catheter into an artery. This is not painful. The catheter is guided through the artery to the uterus while the doctor watches it using X-ray imaging.
The doctor then injects tiny plastic particles into the artery that is supplying blood to the fibroid - preventing blood from flowing through the artery to the tumor. The particles wedge in the tiny arteries next to the uterus and cannot travel to other parts of the body. This causes the fibroid to shrink and die off, but the uterus and ovaries are spared.
How long does it take to recover from this procedure?
Patients who have this procedure typically go home the same day. Because the procedure causes cramping, the doctor may prescribe medications afterwards to reduce pain and swelling.
Many women resume light activity in a few days. and the majority are able to return to normal activities within one week.
What is the success rate of fibroid embolization?
Eight to 90 percent of women who have this procedure experience either complete relief of symptoms or such significant improvement that they are happy that they chose this nonsurgical method of treatment. Though symptoms are reduced in the first month, maximum shrinkage of the fibroid(s) occurs in three to six months after the procedure.
For more information about Uterine Fibroid Embolization, ask your doctor or call us at
(419)226-5055.
