Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Hello Ladies! I recently found out that I have fibroids. My periods give me anxiety. They are painful and heavy. I would like to have a hysterectomy so I can just be done with it all but I’m afraid to have such a major surgery. Looking at other alternatives, I saw UFE or UAE to be less invasive. Has anyone here had that done and what are your thoughts on the procedure?

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Best wishes to you!

I had UAE and I like the results. My bleeding was immediately resolved, I kept my hormone system plus avoided a major surgery. My tumor was 9cm and has shrunk about 90%. Shrinking was not immediate but occurred slowly over time. I don’t know if would have had the same amount of shrinking had I not had it prior to menopause.

Thank you

I second the IUD idea. Also, if decide you are absolutely sure you do not want biological children, I would definitely consider a tubal ligation before a hysterectomy.

I had heavy periods for about a decade and was chronically anemic. I chose to have the UAE. It was overall a very quick procedure and recovery. I did experience nausea and some pain the first day or two but was pretty much back to normal around 2 weeks later. Unfortunately for me, my UAE was not successful. My heavy bleeding returned within 2 months and I had an MRI to determine the cause. They found that I had adenomyosis and the UAE success rate for that is only around 50%. I did end up having a hysterectomy 8 months after the UAE. I had no nausea and very little pain after the hysterectomy but it did take 7 weeks to recover. I am now 8 months out from my hysterectomy and I feel great.

I don’t regret doing the UAE first and it was an important step for my peace of mind. When I went into having the hysterectomy I knew I had tried EVERYTHING else. I don’t regret my hysterectomy either.

I had a fibroid embolization in October 2018. After the procedure I was in a lot of pain. I spent the night in the hospital and was awake all night because of pain. I had the procedure on a Thursday. I was released from the hospital on Friday. I was in pain all weekend. I returned to work on Monday ( Interventional Radiologist said I’d be fine ) and had to leave early because of cramping. I also got sick from the antibiotics. All in all I felt normal after about a week. The procedure helped my heavy bleeding a little, but not enough. My fibroids didn’t shrink that much. My gynecologist said my uterus still presented like I was three months pregnant. I ended up having a hysterectomy in October 2019. It was the easiest thing I ever did. I recovered quickly. I was back to work ( working 1/2 days) in less than 3 weeks, and I was back full time in about 4 1/2 weeks. I feel like a hysterectomy is a last resort for many people. I wish I had done it sooner. I suffered for too long. A few weeks before my surgery I was reading posts on this site and they had me so nervous I almost canceled my surgery. I don’t regret the embolization, but I do think it was more painful than the hysterectomy in the week following the surgery.