UFE or Hysterectory - know what I should do but scared

I just turned 40 and I have an 11 y/o daughter. In 2008, I had a myomectomy to have some fibroids removed, I was having very heavy bleeding and clots and unable to get pregnant. Fast forward to now and the last couple of years my periods have once again gotten very heavy with clots, some days I think I should be in the hospital. Went for an ultrasound in Feb and have numerous fibroids, one which is 6cm on top of my uterus. I have also been diagnosed as severly anemic and I am on my 3rd week of having iron infusions to get my levels back up. I need to fix my bleeding problem otherwise I will be having more infusions in the next 6 months to a year. My gyn suggested a hysterectory if I was done baby making. Well, if hasn't happened in ten years and my hubby doesn't want to be an old dad, so we are done. Ask my primary doctor for her opinion and she referred me to the Fibroid Center at one of our local hospitals, I went and we went thru the options. UFE was one of them or a hysterectomy. Bottom line is I am scared to have surgery. I am aware of being put to sleep and not waking up. With the UFE, it is done under local and even the thought of that scares me because I have suffered from anxiety/panic attacks. Don't think I can see and know that they are doing something. Also, with the UFE, they say the fibroids will start shrinking within 3-6 months and it is possible that new ones can grow. And I may have at least 10+ years before I hit menopause. So I have been leaning towards the hysterectomy to just nip this all in the bud. No more heavy bleeding, no clots, no iron infusions. I know what I need to do but can't seem to make the decision because fo fear. Don't want to do the UFE and it not work and then end up having the hysterectory months down the road.

Just wanted to say Hello and welcome to the forum. Before my surgery I was anemic. Seemed like a constant roller coaster I would get my iron levels up would feel great then whamo! The bleeding at times ended up with a trip to the ER. I was given a few options to try with no guarantee of sucess but I wanted a permanent solution. My uterus was already 14-16 weeks in size and along with the bleeding that was enough for me to decide on surgery. To be honest I wanted to be back in control of my life. The fear you have is a natural response to an unknown situation. For me I knew I had to place my trust in the healing hands of the surgical team. I feel so much better after my surgery and so far have no regrets. Review your options, discuss your concerns with your Dr. and in time you will come to a decision that is right for you. Sending you a and hang in there.

Thank you! My uterus is also now the size of a 20 week pregnant women.

I feel so much better after my hysterectomy and no periods or fibroid concerns. So glad to be done w that. I also had adeno and it was only going to get worse, was ready to feel better !

I was in a similar situation - was critically anemic because of heavy bleeding. I looked into all potential minimally invasive techniques - I was afraid of surgery. But my uterus was 20+ week size and most techniques were not a good option for me, yet my symptoms were negatively affecting my life so much! I finally found my surgeon, talked with him about my concerns. He recommended an abdominal hysterectomy because of the size of my uterus and large fibroids. He felt that while it could make recovery longer, the surgery itself would have less chance of complications. I'm happy to say I had surgery six weeks ago and everything went great. I'm slowly but surely healing and gaining strength every day. I felt better immediately after surgery! No more pressure on my bladder. And I'm looking forward to life without bleeding so much it was scary. Surgery IS scary - but so is living with the symptoms

Check all your options - Then make the decision that is right for you. But I wish I had not waited as long as I did. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I too was severally anemic and my uterus was 22-24 weeks. I had UFE and it worked great. Uterus measures 82.7% smaller now. I think it is unusual for more fibroids to grow after UFE however if you have multiple fibroids blood lines can be missed. If this happens a fibroid could grow. I only had 2 fibroids. I liked that it was less invasive with no surgical menopause. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by NWYogini I was in a similar situation - was critically anemic because of heavy bleeding. I looked into all potential minimally invasive techniques - I was afraid of surgery. But my uterus was 20+ week size and most techniques were not a good option for me, yet my symptoms were negatively affecting my life so much! I finally found my surgeon, talked with him about my concerns. He recommended an abdominal hysterectomy because of the size of my uterus and large fibroids. He felt that while it could make recovery longer, the surgery itself would have less chance of complications. I'm happy to say I had surgery six weeks ago and everything went great. I'm slowly but surely healing and gaining strength every day. I felt better immediately after surgery! No more pressure on my bladder. And I'm looking forward to life without bleeding so much it was scary. Surgery IS scary - but so is living with the symptoms Check all your options - Then make the decision that is right for you. But I wish I had not waited as long as I did. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I am 43, had a Robotic Hysterectomy 34 days ago. I feel great. I was scared too. But the hemorrhaging , large abdomen and constant pain is a thing of the past.

Reading your post is almost like having you reading my thoughts. I, too, have the same 2 options. I have an 8 cm fibroid that is growing thru and thru the back wall of my uterus. I have anxiety issues when I feel trapped and have never had any surgery or hospitalizations (knock on wood) so going under is the scariest part for me to face. I just made my decision last week. I know it's the best for me instead of the artery blocking. Talk to your doctor and/or surgeon and let them know your fears. It does help to get it out and let them know.

I had an open myomectomy 11 weeks ago and I was TERRIFIED of the surgery and being in the hospital on many, many levels. I did a lot of work leading up to surgery with my therapist, but I also found an AMAZING surgeon who was so empathic and understanding about all of my fears. She really went out of her way to make sure the process was as safe as possible for me - and to make sure that other staff members made it safe too.

In the end, it was an extremely powerful and healing experience and I'm now far less scared of receiving medical care than I was before surgery.