Enlarging Fibroids -- UFE anyone?

Hi,
I am 42 years old and new to the site. A friend informed me of the site after my doctor recommended a hysterectomy. Two years ago I had an ultrasound which showed 3 fibroids (the largest was 1.5 cm). My family doctor diagnosed me with iron deficiency anemia and suggested that I see my gyn regarding my fibroids in November 2007. I saw my gyn in January and she didn't think I needed to worry because my periods seemed normal, except for some increased clots. However, after she examined me, she found that my uterus had increased in size. She sent me for an ultrasound and found that the fibroids had grown. The largest one is now 8.8 cm. She recommended a myomectomy or hysterectomy. After discussing this with my family and doctor, I decided to go with the hysterectomy, but now I am having second thoughts. A friend suggested the UFE (Uterine fibroid embolization). Has anyone had a UFE and what was your experience? Thanks for any advice.

Hi, I had the hysterectomy for that exact reason, the enlarged fibroids and thus enlarged uterus. However, I was 53 (now 54). My gyn talked with me about all the options. As cancer of a few types runs in my family, we both agreed at this point in my life that removing everything would be best. Since I've had no experience with the UFE, I can't tell you what it was like for me, but if I was 42, I would have insisted on the UFE vice the hysterectomy. Just my preference to keeping as many of my parts with me, if it won't hurt me to do so.

We do have several Fibroid Resources you might want to read through that include information about the UFE as well as other options such as a myomectomy and Mirena Coil IUD. You can also do a site search for "fibroids" or "UFE" or other key words to find threads discussing information that might be helpful.

I would also suggest seeking a second opinion about what might be best for your situation specifically! S

Hi - I had UFE for my fibroids and it worked well for me. It's been about two and a half years since I had it. I too came here to learn more about hysterectomy since that's what my GYN recommended. However in learning more about fibroids I quickly learned that there are other treatment options - including UFE. I decided this was what I wanted to do because it's a non-surgical procedure - so does not have risks inherent in surgery - and recovery time is short - about a week. There are pros and cons to any choice. I'd suggest you check out the Yahoo EMBO board - where many women discuss their experiences with UFE - both good and bad. It's kind of like this board - but specific to UFE. You won't find a lot of people posting here who had good results from UFE. Since it's not 100% effective in solving fibroid symptoms for everyone, some people do go on to have a hysterectomy if they don't have good results. One of the most important things to know is that your GYN is not qualified to determine if you're a good candidate for this procedure. It's performed by an interventional radiologist (IR) and you need to be seen by one who is experienced in performing this procedure - not just any IR who is not experienced in UFE.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambrosia Hi - I had UFE for my fibroids and it worked well for me. It's been about two and a half years since I had it. I too came here to learn more about hysterectomy since that's what my GYN recommended. However in learning more about fibroids I quickly learned that there are other treatment options - including UFE. I decided this was what I wanted to do because it's a non-surgical procedure - so does not have risks inherent in surgery - and recovery time is short - about a week. There are pros and cons to any choice. I'd suggest you check out the Yahoo EMBO board - where many women discuss their experiences with UFE - both good and bad. It's kind of like this board - but specific to UFE. You won't find a lot of people posting here who had good results from UFE. Since it's not 100% effective in solving fibroid symptoms for everyone, some people do go on to have a hysterectomy if they don't have good results. One of the most important things to know is that your GYN is not qualified to determine if you're a good candidate for this procedure. It's performed by an interventional radiologist (IR) and you need to be seen by one who is experienced in performing this procedure - not just any IR who is not experienced in UFE.

Ambrosia,

Thanks for the info.