How One Procedure Is Saving Uteruses and Lives

What would you do if you had something that could end human suffering for over a million people? What if no one listened to you? What if they thought that if it was so good, they would have heard about it already? What if there were others that knew about it but didn’t relay this information to those who could benefit?  I have such a “something.” I have tried to tell and share this with as many people as will listen over the past 25 years, and yet, it surprisingly remains one of the best-kept secrets in medicine. It is the driving force behind the creation of this blog. It is called Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) or Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE).

I have one of the world’s largest UFE experiences (now over 10,000 procedures performed). It is a non-surgical, outpatient medical procedure that replaces the need for surgery (e.g., hysterectomy) for women suffering from uterine fibroids. Every working day in the United States, over 3,000 women lose their uterus, and fibroids are the number one reason why. In addition, there are over 1 million women who don’t want a hysterectomy, and currently suffer in silence with a condition that won’t kill them, but makes their lives absolutely miserable.

The Truth About Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are benign tumors, and therefore, have garnered little attention in both research efforts and in media coverage. One in three women of childbearing age, and up to three-quarters of African-American women, have fibroids. It is the most common reason why women in this country undergo a hysterectomy.

While fibroids are not cancerous or life-threatening, they make many women’s lives intolerable. These women suffer from severe menstrual bleeding, which can lead to profound anemia, fatigue, and weakness. Menstrual periods lasting for 1-2 weeks each month, episodes of blood pouring down their legs, or passing fist-sized blood clots, are just some of the symptoms these women endure. They often cannot work for several days each month due to disability and the embarrassment of this condition.

These women can be saved by this simple, non-surgical, outpatient Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) procedure.

Why Haven’t You Heard of UFE?

You might wonder why people are not aware of UFE, since it is not new or experimental, and has a long track record of safety and efficacy. It is due to the fact that Gynecologists who typically see these patients often fail to mention UFE, and only give the woman the option of hysterectomy (i.e., the surgical procedure that they perform).

UFE is performed by Interventional Radiologists, who are physicians trained in minimally invasive, image-guided targeted treatments that often replace open surgical procedures. Not only do the patients who undergo UFE get significant relief in their symptoms (watch the video on the front page of our website), but they also completely avoid surgery/surgical scars/risks, and a long recovery. These women also get to keep their uterus, a point that is significantly underappreciated by many physicians.

Since Gynecologists don’t perform UFE, they may not discuss this with their patients. While hysterectomy does end the fibroid symptoms, there are often additional consequences due to the common “after-effects” of hysterectomy that a lot of women endure (e.g., depression from losing her womb, loss of sexual desire, inability to achieve orgasm, urinary incontinence). While these are not surgical complications per se, and therefore, are not readily discussed with patients, they can be even more devastating. Women suffering from fibroids need to know about UFE. They need to know that they have options besides surgery. They don’t have to suffer in silence, and they can get their life back with UFE.

A Patient’s Story: Life After UFE

The following is an e-mail I recently received at 1:30 in the morning from a patient, which typifies the struggle and suffering these patients endure, and how women who suffer from fibroids can get their life back completely without any surgery.