What is Uterine Artery Embolization?

Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) is a minimally invasive treatment used to stop serious pelvic bleeding. The most common reason for performing Uterine Artery Embolization is Uterine fibroids (non-cancerous tumors inside the uterus). Other conditions include trauma, malignant (cancerous) gynecological tumors, or hemorrhage after childbirth, among other things.

When is Uterine Artery Embolization required?

Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a procedure that involves blocking the flow of blood to the uterus and thus helps women who have severe pelvic bleeding as a result of fibroids or other disorders.

The most common cause for uterine fibroid embolization is to treat uterine fibroid tumors that are causing discomfort or other complications.
Your doctor may recommend this procedure if you have:

• Low blood count (anemia) from uterine bleeding due to fibroids
• Fullness or pain in your belly
• An enlarged uterus
• Belly that is larger than normal
• Infertility
• Bladder pressure that makes you feel like you need to urinate often
• Pressure on the bowel that causes constipation and bloating
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Pain in your back or legs, which may be caused by the fibroids pressing on nerves

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) should not be done for the following reasons:

• When a patient has uterine fibroids but no symptoms, this is referred to as asymptomatic uterine fibroids.
• If the woman is expecting a child,
• If cancer is suspected,
• In the event of a pelvic infection,
• In the event of a reaction to contrast dyes,
• If your fibroids are exceedingly large, uterine fibroid embolization may not be indicated.

How is Uterine Artery Embolization done?

An interventional radiologist performs the UAE in a catheterization lab or operating room and normally takes about 90 minutes to complete the process.

What is the Recovery after Uterine Artery Embolization like?

The majority of patients are able to return home the same day. Painkiller and other drugs are prescribed for usage at home. Within one to two weeks after the surgery, you should be able to resume normal activities.

For a cycle or two, menstrual bleeding may not resume. When it does restart, the amount of blood may be lower than normal, but it will gradually grow over the next few cycles to a level that is better than before the treatment.

In the case of fibroids treatment, symptoms should start to fade in two to three weeks. The rate of improvement reaches a maximum after six months and then stabilizes.

What Results Can I Expect from Uterine Artery Embolization?

After a year, 90 percent to 92 percent of patients who had uterine artery embolization (UAE) had their bleeding symptoms under control.

Those who got uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) for fibroids therapy reported similar levels of satisfaction at one and five years as patients who received surgical treatment.