Which test, procedure or treatment is best for me? Uterine artery embolization has been used for decades to stop severe pelvic bleeding caused by: trauma malignant gynecological tumors hemorrhage after childbirth Uterine fibroid embolization is a specialized form of UAE for treating symptomatic fibroids.

Tell your doctor about recent illnesses or other medical conditions. You should plan to stay overnight at the hospital following your procedure.

The nurse will give you a gown to wear during the procedure. You will lie on the procedure table. The doctor will make a very small skin incision at the site. The doctor or nurse will remove your IV line before you go home. This procedure is usually completed within 90 minutes. Benefits Uterine fibroid embolization, done under local anesthesia , is much less invasive than open or laparoscopic surgery to remove individual uterine fibroids myomectomy or the whole uterus hysterectomy.

No surgical incision is necessary—only a small nick in the skin that does not need stitches. Patients ordinarily can resume their usual activities much earlier than if they had surgery to treat their fibroids.

As compared to surgery, general anesthesia is not required and the recovery time is much shorter, with virtually no blood loss. Follow-up studies have shown that nearly 90 percent of women who have their fibroids treated by uterine fibroid embolization experience either significant or complete resolution of their fibroid-related symptoms.

This is true both for women who have heavy bleeding as well as those who have bulk-related symptoms including urinary frequency, pelvic pain or pressure.

On average, fibroids will shrink to half their original volume, which amounts to about a 20 percent reduction in their diameter. More importantly, they soften after embolization and no longer exert pressure on the adjacent pelvic organs. Follow-up studies over several years have shown that it is rare for treated fibroids to regrow or for new fibroids to develop after uterine fibroid embolization.

This is because all fibroids present in the uterus, even early-stage nodules that may be too small to see on imaging exams, are treated during the procedure. Uterine fibroid embolization is a more permanent solution than the option of hormonal therapy, because when hormonal treatment is stopped the fibroid tumors usually grow back.

Regrowth also has been a problem with laser treatment of uterine fibroids. Risks Any procedure that places a catheter inside a blood vessel carries certain risks. These risks include damage to the blood vessel, bruising or bleeding at the puncture site, and infection. The doctor will take precautions to mitigate these risks. When performed by an experienced interventional radiologist, the chance of any of these events occurring during uterine fibroid embolization is less than one percent.

Any procedure that penetrates the skin carries a risk of infection. The chance of infection requiring antibiotic treatment appears to be less than one in 1, There is always a chance that an embolic agent can lodge in the wrong place and deprive normal tissue of its oxygen supply.

An occasional patient may have an allergic reaction to the x-ray contrast material used during uterine fibroid embolization. These episodes range from mild itching to severe reactions that can affect a woman's breathing or blood pressure. Women undergoing UFE are carefully monitored by a physician and a nurse during the procedure, so that any allergic reaction can be detected immediately and addressed.

Approximately two to three percent of women will pass small pieces of fibroid tissue after uterine fibroid embolization. This occurs when fibroids located inside the uterine cavity detach after embolization.

In the majority of women who undergo uterine fibroid embolization, normal menstrual cycles resume after the procedure. However, in approximately one percent to five percent of women, menopause occurs after uterine fibroid embolization. This appears to occur more commonly in women who are older than 45 years. Although the goal of uterine fibroid embolization is to cure fibroid-related symptoms without surgery, some women may eventually need to have a hysterectomy because of infection or persistent symptoms.

The likelihood of requiring hysterectomy after uterine fibroid embolization depends on how much time elapses until menopause. The younger the patient, the greater the tendency to develop new fibroids or recurrent symptoms.

Women are exposed to x-rays during uterine fibroid embolization, but exposure levels usually are well below those where adverse effects on the patient or future childbearing would be a concern. The question of whether uterine fibroid embolization impacts fertility has not yet been answered, although a number of healthy pregnancies have been documented in women who have had the procedure.

You may be given a prescription for pain medication or advice on using over-the-counter pain medication for when you return home. There will likely be some discharge after the procedure. You may also pass some fibroid tissue, but this is rare. Be sure to have some menstrual pads ready for after the procedure and avoid using tampons for a few weeks.

A small cut is made to insert a catheter as part of the procedure. Monitor the site of the cut to make sure it stays clean and dry and talk with your doctor if you see any signs of infection. Drinking more fluids and eating high fiber foods can help. Sources of fiber include:. No one procedure will be the right option for everyone. With this infographic, learn how fibroids disproportionately affect Black women in prevalence, symptom severity, and more.

Learn more about the latest advancements in research and treatment options for uterine fibroids. If your period is so heavy that you quickly soak through pads or tampons, there are things you can do to find relief. Find out what home remedies and…. Fibroids can cause pain in some women. The pain may come and go, or it may be constant.

It may be in your pelvic region but it can sometimes appear in…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Post-embolization syndrome symptoms peak about 48 hours after the procedure and usually resolve on their own within a week.

Ongoing symptoms that don't gradually improve should be evaluated for more-serious conditions, such as an infection. By the next day, your urinary catheter is removed, and you're encouraged to walk around.

Recovery is generally rapid, and complications are rare. Most women return home the day after the procedure with a prescription for oral pain medication. Pain usually ends within a day or two, but in some women it may last up to a few weeks. You may have a magnetic resonance imaging MRI exam over the next year to monitor shrinkage or other changes in the fibroids or your uterus.

Doctors usually schedule the first exam three months after the procedure. Uterine artery embolization typically provides significant relief of symptoms. It also affects your menstrual period and it may have an impact on fertility. Your menstrual period may continue on its normal schedule. If you miss any periods, they will probably resume within a few months. A small number of women enter menopause after the procedure. The risk appears highest among women age 45 and older.

Impact on fertility. Although the risk of entering menopause after the procedure is low, subtle ovarian damage may make getting pregnant more difficult. There also may be an increased risk of pregnancy complications, especially involving abnormal placement or attachment of the placenta. Despite these risks, many women have had successful pregnancies after uterine artery embolization. But, more long-term, larger studies are needed to determine the impact of uterine artery embolization on fertility and pregnancy — and the risks of uterine artery embolization must also be compared with the risks of surgery.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. You will be prescribed painkillers and other drugs and an explanation of their usage will be given prior to your discharge.

Uterine fibroid embolisation is a safe procedure, but there are some risks and complications that can arise, as with any medical treatment. There may occasionally be a small bruise, called a haematoma, around the site where the needle has been inserted, and this is quite normal. If this becomes a large bruise, then there is the risk of it getting infected, and this would then require treatment with antibiotics. Most patients feel some pain afterwards. This ranges from very mild pain to severe cramp, period-like pain.

It is generally worst in the first 12 hours, but will probably still be present when you go home. While you are in hospital this can be controlled by powerful pain killers. You will be given further tablets to take home with you.

Most patients get a slight fever after the procedure. This is a good sign as it means that the fibroid is breaking down.

The pain killers you will be given will help control this fever. A few patients get a vaginal discharge afterwards, which may be bloody. This is usually due to the fibroid breaking down. Usually, the discharge persists for approximately two weeks from when it starts, although occasionally it can persist intermittently for several months. This not in itself a medical problem, although you may need to wear sanitary protection.

If the discharge becomes offensive and if it is associated with a high fever and feeling unwell, there is the possibility of infection and you should contact your interventional radiologist and GP and ask to see your gynaecologist urgently. The most serious complication of uterine fibroid embolisation is infection. This happens to perhaps two in every hundred women having the procedure. The signs that the uterus is infected after embolisation include great pain, pelvic tenderness and a high temperature.

If severe infection has developed, it is generally necessary to have an operation to remove the womb, a hysterectomy. If you feel that you would not want a hysterectomy under any circumstances, then it is probably best not to have UFE performed. Some patients may feel very tired for up to two weeks following the procedure, though some people feel fit enough to return to work three days later.

However, patients are advised to take at least two weeks off work following UFE. If this happens, you are likely to feel period like pain and have some bleeding. A very few women have undergone an early menopause, the change of life, after this procedure.