There are several options for treating fibroids, ranging from medication to surgery. Two common procedures include a hysterectomy and uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). This article will discuss what each of these options are and why UFE may be a more advantageous option.
A hysterectomy is a major surgical procedure. In this surgery, the uterus (also known as the womb) is removed entirely. After having this operation, women are no longer able to get pregnant, making it an irreversible procedure. Likewise, having a hysterectomy, especially for women of child-bearing potential, is a large decision to make.
While a hysterectomy is a major surgery, it is a way to completely eradicate fibroid symptoms. After undergoing a hysterectomy, new uterine fibroids can no longer grow. Likewise, your periods and pelvic pain and pressure will stop, and frequent urination will improve. Such improvements in symptoms and quality of life make it an attractive option for many women suffering from severe uterine fibroids.
Because the entire uterus is removed during a hysterectomy, there are several side effects of the operation that a woman must consider.
These include:
There are a few different types of hysterectomies, including a vaginal, abdominal, and laparoscopic hysterectomy. The type of surgery you receive is dependent upon individual factors such as your uterus size.
UFE can also be used to treat fibroids. UFE differs from a hysterectomy in that it is a non-surgical and minimally invasive procedure. In this procedure, a radiologist inserts a small catheter into the uterine artery which injects small particles into the artery. These particles stop blood supply to the fibroids, causing them to shrink and die. Therefore, UFE should reduce symptoms associated with large fibroids, such as pain, pressure, and heavy periods.
UFE can shrink a fibroid by about 40 to 50 percent. In addition, it can shrink the uterus by 30 to 40 percent. This can help to resolve symptoms greatly, and studies suggest that between 80 to 90 percent of women experience symptom improvement after UFE. Treatment with UFE is very safe, as serious complications happen in less than four percent of women.
After undergoing UFE, a patient should lay flat with their legs straight for six hours. Women may experience some pain after the procedure, but the most significant pain occurs within the first six hours post-surgery and can be managed with medication. The majority of patients can resume normal activity in a week.
UFE has several advantages over hysterectomy. For starters, UFE is a minimally invasive and same-day procedure. Compared with a major surgery such as a hysterectomy or myomectomy, recovery time is much shorter and does not require a hospital stay. Most women can resume normal activities within seven to 10 days after undergoing UFE, whereas recovery from a hysterectomy can take six to eight weeks. In addition, pain management after UFE is likely needed for only two to three days.
UFE is also a more affordable option for managing fibroids. Because UFE does not require a hospital stay, the cost of UFE is estimated to be 12 percent less than a hysterectomy and 8 percent less than a myomectomy, according to the American Journal of Gynecology
Now that you have a better awareness of Uterine Fibroid Embolization, turn that awareness into action. If you are experiencing symptoms of uterine fibroids, see your local physician. And if you have been diagnosed with uterine fibroids, ask your physician about Uterine Fibroid Embolization treatment with MTV IR.
References
Uterine fibroid embolization vs hysterectomy | American endovascular & amputation prevention. (2019, October 31). https://americanendovascular.com/uterine-fibroid-embolization-vs-hysterectomy/
Fibroids treatment. (n.d.). Ucsfhealth.Org. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/Conditions/Fibroids/Treatment
Fibroids are a type of noncancerous tumor that are made up of muscle and connective tissue. They can develop either within the uterus wall or on the uterus, sometimes as just one tumor and sometimes in multiples. Fibroids can range in size from being the size of an apple seed to being as large as a grapefruit. In rare cases, they can get even bigger.
Many women have fibroids, and they are actually very common. In fact, roughly 40 to 80 percent of women have fibroids, but many women will not even know they have them because they do not experience symptoms. Typically, asymptomatic fibroids are smaller in size1,2.
The majority of fibroids are small in size and do not cause any symptoms and therefore will not need treatment. In these cases, your provider will simply monitor and observe the fibroids for any changes. However, if you have a larger fibroid, you may experience certain symptoms 1,2.
Fibroids can be painful, but they are not always painful. Typically, small fibroids will not be painful or even noticeable. Large fibroids, however, may cause pain or discomfort. This pain usually manifests as back pain, strong menstrual cramps, sharp stomach pains, and sometimes painful sex.
Fibroids may cause infertility. This is likely due to a fibroid blocking the fallopian tube, thereby preventing conception. However, infertility due to fibroids is not super common. Roughly 5 to 10 percent of infertile women have fibroids, and 1 to 2.4 percent of infertile women are expected to be infertile due to fibroids alone.
How are uterine fibroids treated?
Not all fibroids will require treatment. Treatment is usually only needed if a fibroid is causing severe symptoms such as intense bleeding, pain, or discomfort. There are a few medication options for fibroids. These include birth control pills or a device called an intrauterine device (IUD), which can help with heavy periods. Another medication is Lupron, which is used in certain cases to improve fibroid symptoms.
Uterine fibroids can also be treated with surgery. A myomectomy is an operation in which the surgeon removes the fibroids but also preserves the uterus. A hysterectomy is another option in which the uterus is removed. Finally, uterine artery embolization is a new procedure that can be used as an alternative to surgery4.
Now that you have a better awareness of Uterine Fibroids, turn that awareness into action. If you are experiencing symptoms of uterine fibroids, see your local provider. And if you have been diagnosed with uterine fibroids, ask your physician about Uterine Fibroid Embolization treatment with MTV IR.
References
Uterine fibroids | Office on Women’s Health. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/uterine-fibroids
Uterine fibroids: Symptoms, causes, risk factors & treatment. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9130-uterine-fibroids
Fibroid & menstrual disorders. (n.d.). GW Medical Faculty Associates. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://gwdocs.com/specialties/obstetrics-gynecology-obgyn/fibroid-menstrual-disorders
Fibroids treatment. (n.d.). Ucsfhealth.Org. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from https://www.ucsfhealth.org/Conditions/Fibroids/Treatment
If you have been suffering with painful uterine fibroids you are not alone. Most American women will develop them at some point in their lives. An estimated 26 million Americans have fibroids, and of those, about 15 million suffer from debilitating symptoms, including heavy menstrual bleeding, overly long menstrual periods, pelvic pressure and pain, backaches, and difficulty with constipation or frequent urination.
Know Your Treatment Options
With uterine fibroids, it’s important to know your treatment options. In the past the only alternatives were traditional surgical procedures like a hysterectomy or a myomectomy. Luckily, MTV IR offers an advanced non-invasive treatment that is effective in relieving the pain for a vast majority of women. The procedure is called Uterine Fibroid Embolization or (UFE). This innovative procedure allows you to avoid the risk of surgery, avoid the lengthy recovery, and keep your uterus intact for any future pregnancies.
Here are the benefits of UFE vs. surgical procedures:
A brief overview of our UFE procedure:
The Uterine Fibroid Embolization procedure performed by MTV IR’s experienced interventional radiologists involves inserting a fiber thin catheter into the radial artery and advancing it through the artery to each fibroid. Then small particles are injected, which cut off the blood flow to the problematic fibroid, causing the uterine fibroids to shrink and die over time.
So, if you suffer from painful uterine fibroids, contact MTV IR, the leaders in interventional radiology for women in Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. To learn more about MTV IR’s Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) procedure, follow this link https://mtvir.com/uterinefibroids/
If you have Uterine Fibroids and would like a connect with the professionals at MTV IR, simply request a consultation or call (469) 458-9800.
For most women, the month of October is a reminder to schedule their annual mammogram screening. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been extremely beneficial in both awareness and prevention. As a nation, we have done a wonderful job of focusing on a very important women’s health issue each October.
Now that we are at the beginning of November, we would invite you to continue to focus on women’s health issues by turning your attention to a condition that creates challenges for millions of women around the world. Uterine Fibroids affect 70-80% of all women between 35 and 54. These fibroids are non-cancerous, but sometimes can produce adverse symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, overly long menstrual periods, pelvic pressure and pain, backaches, and difficulty with constipation or frequent urination
With the holidays approaching, this time of year is filled with family gatherings, office parties, shopping, and way more activities than usual.
If you or a loved one is suffering with painful uterine fibroids, it’s important to know your treatment options. MTV IR offers an advanced non-invasive treatment that is effective in relieving the pain for a vast majority of women.
In the past, problematic uterine fibroids would require an invasive surgery like a hysterectomy or myomectomy. Now you can avoid the risk of surgery, avoid the lengthy recovery, and keep your uterus intact for any future pregnancies with MTV IR’s Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE).
The Uterine Fibroid Embolization procedure performed by MTV IR’s experienced interventional radiologists involves inserting a fiber thin catheter into the radial artery and advancing it through the artery to each fibroid. Then small particles are injected, cutting off the blood flow, causing the fibroids to shrink and die over time. By using UFE to reduce the size of the fibroids, the final removal through hysterectomy or myomectomy can be a much safer process.
So, if you suffer from painful uterine fibroids, contact MTV IR, the leaders in interventional radiology for women in Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. To learn more about MTV IR’s Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) procedure, click here: https://mtvir.com/uterinefibroids/
If you have Uterine Fibroids and would like a connect with the professionals at MTV IR, simply request a consultation or call (469) 458-9800.
Our Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is also recommended as pre-surgical procedure for patients seeking a safer Hysterectomy or Myomectomy.
Suffering with uterine fibroids can be extremely painful. Uterine Fibroid Embolization offered by MTVIR remains an advanced non-invasive treatment that is effective in relieving the pain for a vast majority of women. However, some patients with more severe fibroid conditions will still be candidates for either a traditional Hysterectomy or Myomectomy.
A Hysterectomy involves surgically removing the entire uterus while a Myomectomy is the surgical removal of just the painful fibroids while keeping the uterus intact. Both are highly invasive surgeries that can be quite challenging due to the significant blood loss during the operation. Depending on patient complications, a blood transfusion is routinely required during a hysterectomy or myomectomy. For patients scheduled to have either of these surgeries, a pre-surgical UFE is often recommended as a vital step in achieving a smoother operation and successful patient outcomes.
The Uterine Fibroid Embolization procedure performed by MTVIR’s experienced interventional radiologists involves inserting a fiber thin catheter into the radial artery and advancing it through the artery to each fibroid. Then small particles are injected, cutting off the blood flow, causing the fibroids to shrink and die over time. By using UFE to reduce the size of the fibroids the final removal through hysterectomy or myomectomy can be a much safer process.
If you or a loved one suffers from Uterine Fibroids and a Hysterectomy or Myomectomy has been recommended as a treatment option, contact MTVIR about our Uterine Fibroid Embolization procedure. Our UFE could be the minimally invasive alternative treatment that allows you to avoid surgery or it could be an option to consider before surgery to achieve an easier operation and recovery.
Uterine fibroids are growths in the uterus that as many as 3 out of 4 women experience during their childbearing years.
These fibroids are non-cancerous, but sometimes can produce adverse symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, overly long menstrual periods, pelvic pressure and pain, backaches, and difficulty with constipation or frequent urination.
By age 50, it is estimated that 70% of women will have one or more uterine fibroids, with around 30% of patients symptomatic and requesting treatment. Women of all races are affected, but fibroids are more common, and develop at an earlier age, in women of African origin. By age 35 years, 60% of African-American women will have fibroids, compared to 40% in Caucasian women of the same age. Other risk factors include age (increasing incidence with age up to the menopause, then usually decreasing in size), nulliparity, genetic factors, early menarche, caffeine, alcohol, obesity and hypertension.
If you suffer from painful uterine fibroids, you should know about your treatment options. In the past, problematic uterine fibroids would require an invasive surgery like a hysterectomy or myomectomy. Now you can avoid the risk of surgery, avoid the lengthy recovery, and keep your uterus in tact for any future pregnancies with MTV IR’s uterine fibroid embolization.
So if you suffer from painful uterine fibroids, contact MTVIR, the leaders in interventional radiology for women in Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. To learn more about MTV IR’s Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) procedure follow this link uterine fibroid embolization
How Does UFE Work?Fibroid tumors, sometimes referred to as myomas, are benign tumors that develop in the walls of the uterus. While it is very rare for these tumors to turn cancerous, they can cause extremely unpleasant symptoms, such as heavy menstrual bleeding, painful cramping, chronic pain in the pelvic region, and pressure on the bladder or bowels.
In the past, these symptoms (and the fibroid growths that caused them) were often treated with hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus). Although common, hysterectomy is a radical procedure in that it renders the patient unable to have children, incurs the risks normally associated with invasive surgery and full general anesthesia, and often results in other adverse long-term effects.
Interventional Radiology (IR) procedures offer a better treatment approach
The minimally-invasive procedure used by some of the best interventional radiology doctors in Dallas at MTV IR allows them to shrink or destroy uterine fibroid tumors without the need for invasive surgery. With this procedure (called Uterine Fibroid Embolization or UFE), a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is introduced into the femoral artery in the upper thigh and guided using visualization techniques into position near the uterus. Then a contrast material is injected, which allows the doctors to watch its progress as it travels to the uterus using real-time X-ray fluoroscopy. This allows the doctors to not only pinpoint the location of the fibroid tumors, but also the arteries that supply blood to them.
In the final stage of the procedure, the catheter is guided precisely into place and a solution of embolizing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles is injected into those arteries that supply the tumors. The particles build up in the targeted arteries and effectively block blood flow to the fibroid tumors, causing them to shrink and die.
The procedure itself is performed in a hospital by MTV IR specialists and usually requires an overnight stay. Recovery from the procedures can involve some moderate pain, and requires that you remain motionless during the 24-hour recovery period to allow the small puncture in your artery to close properly. Most patients (85-90%) report significant reductions of their reported symptoms within a very short time, often as quickly as the next menstrual cycle.
When determines whether you are a candidate for UFE?
There are many factors that determine which uterine fibroid treatment options in Dallas are right for you, the most important being whether you plan on becoming pregnant in the future. The full effects of UFE are not fully understood, and while it is theoretically possible to become pregnant after UFE, the odds of this happening are uncertain. There are few risks associated with the procedure itself, because being minimally invasive it avoids the need for general anesthesia and blood transfusions. The procedure offers many advantages over other procedures used to treat fibroids, such as hysterectomy, myomectomy, or treatment with GnRH-a (a hormone suppressant used to shrink fibroids that can cause bone thinning).
If you are currently dealing with symptoms that sound as if they could be caused by uterine fibroids, look into the information we’ve provided about our Women’s Health services and pelvic pain treatment options in Dallas on our website at http://www.mtvir.com/ or give us a call at 469-447-4008. We’ll be happy to schedule an appointment and answer any questions you might have.
Uterine Fibroid Treatment Options in Dallas: Fibroid ChecklistYou may have heard about uterine fibroid treatment options in Dallas such as uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). Accordingly, perhaps you are wondering if it is the best treatment for your situation. If your doctor has diagnosed you with uterine fibroids, here are some things to consider in deciding whether UFE is right for you.
Is UFE right for me?
As you are considering your pelvic pain treatment options in Dallas, we suggest you think about the following when you are deciding whether UFE is right for you:
If you said yes to 3 or more items in this list, uterine fibroid treatment options in Dallas may be an appropriate treatment for you. However, it is still a good idea to discuss it with your gynecologist or with our specialists at MTV IR to make a final decision.
How does UFE work?
The specialists at MTV IR offer (UFE), which shrinks and even eliminates fibroid tumors without the need for open surgery. Under local anesthesia, a tiny catheter is placed in the femoral artery in the groin area. A solution is injected into the catheter that blocks the blood from flowing to the fibroids, which leads the fibroids to shrink and eventually disappear.
Advantages to UFE include the fact that it is performed on an outpatient basis, with no need for general anesthesia or a hospital stay. Additionally, complications such as infection or pain are rare, and the recovery time is notably shorter than with surgery.
How to find out more
If you suffer from painful uterine fibroids, contact MTVIR, the leaders in interventional radiology for women in Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. To learn more about MTVIR’s Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) procedure follow this link Uterine Fibroid Embolization.
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