Advantages of Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE)

UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization) – is a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure for the treatment of uterine fibroids, which reduces the risks of complications and relapse of the disease to almost zero, allowing a woman to return to her usual life back in a short time, preserving the patient’s fully functioning uterus, and the ability to become pregnant and bear a child.

The essence of the method is to overlap the uterine arteries that feed the fibroid nodes, which leads to their complete death.

Advantages of UFE: What Happens To Fibroids After The Procedure?

Uterine arteries are the main source of blood supply to the uterus. They receive the largest amount of blood, which is supplemented by secondary arteries. This happens in a healthy myometrium. For fibroid nodes, the uterine arteries are not the main, but the only source of nutrition.

UFE is a “stopping” of blood flow, which “feeds” uterine fibroids, as a result, they disappear and ceases to disturb the patient.

The peculiarity of the procedure is that the arteries of healthy myometrium do not suffer since the blood supply to the nodes is carried out through the vasculature surrounding the benign tumor on the periphery.

⇒ Related: Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) As An Alternative to Hysterectomy

When treating fibroids with UFE, special particles of a strictly defined size, embolic agents, are injected into the arteries. They close the gaps in the vessels, blocking the flow of blood to the tumor. Particles selectively enter the arteries leading to fibroids. The “affected” artery is reliably clogged. The lack of blood supply leads to the process of replacing the node with connective tissue, fibrosis. Fibroid nodes are reduced on average by 2 times without the possibility of re-growth. Finally, the connective tissue remains, which does not pose a threat to women’s health.

The nodes growing in the uterus gradually lose contact with it, they are pushed into its cavity and go outside.

In a small amount, embolic agents can also appear in the vessels that feed the uterus, but this will not affect its blood supply, and particles will quickly be washed out of healthy areas. A small part will collapse naturally.

After uterine fibroid embolization, no additional treatment is required. It allows women to achieve a complete replacement of fibroid nodes with connective tissue, defeat negative symptoms, normalize the genitourinary system and fully restore reproductive function.

How Effective Is Uterine Fibroid Embolization?

The first manifestation of the UFE effectiveness is the normalization of symptoms. Menstrual bleeding normalizes, its volume and duration decrease. The symptoms of compression also decrease and disappear, this process is somewhat longer and can last several weeks or months.

⇒ Related: How Is Uterine Fibroid Embolization Done?

The decrease in fibroid nodes, as well as the size of the uterus, occurs during the first 6-8 months after the procedure. Then the fibroids disappear completely.

UFE is characterized by no risk of disease recurrence after the procedure.

Advantages of uterine fibroid embolization:

• Extremely safe, painless, and minimally invasive procedure.
• Intervention is highly effective (after UFE, there is no need to return to the question of treating uterine fibroids).
• There is an immediate improvement in symptoms.
• Fibroids do not recur (in contrast to myomectomy, for which the probability of relapse reaches 30-40%).
• A very short hospital stay is required, usually 1 day or less.
• UFE is NOT surgery, the procedure is performed under local anesthesia and takes 30-45 minutes.
• Very low likelihood of any complications.
• You save your uterus.
• The ability to bear children remains. And this is the main advantage of the procedure!

Obviously, after a hysterectomy, there is no question of childbearing, but even after myomectomy, infertility often occurs associated with the formation of adhesions in the uterus and around it.

Many women around the world give birth to healthy children after UFE. It is important to note that most of these happy moms had no prospects for organ-preserving treatment – in most clinics they were only recommended to remove the uterus.

Surgery often helps to bring the patient to a satisfactory condition. However, the true success of the treatment is the preservation of not only the uterus but also its reproductive function in the long term.

UFE is not a surgical operation. The procedure allows you to solve the problem of uterine fibroids quickly and painlessly. It does not give complications or unforeseen reactions. It does not leave scars on the uterus. The period of physical recovery after UFE does not exceed a week, while after a hysterectomy it can drag on for 2-3 months.

After UFE, there is practically no relapse. A woman gets the opportunity to forget about fibroids forever.

And most importantly, she can have a baby.

Remember that you have options. Make the right choice.

If you have been diagnosed with fibroids and are experiencing symptoms, please call Atlanta Fibroid Center at 770-214-4600 or make an appointment online. Our office staff will order a pelvic MRI exam for you at a nearby MRI center, and your consultation at our office will be scheduled immediately afterward or within the next few days of having the MRI.