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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffStudies have shown that uterine artery embolization reduces symptoms such as heavy bleeding, urinary incontinence and abdominal enlargement in 75 percent or more of women who undergo the procedure to treat their fibroids. However, many of these studies focused on small groups of women and lacked long-term follow-up of study participants.
Five years after treatment with uterine artery embolization, more than 75 percent of women maintain symptom control. These results are comparable to that of myomectomy, in which the fibroids are surgically removed and the uterus repaired.
Menstruation and menopause
Your menstrual period will probably resume within a few months. A small number of women, however, enter menopause after the procedure. The risk appears highest among women age 45 and older. The cause may be that the ovaries and uterus share some blood vessels and when the uterine arteries are embolized, disruption of the ovarian blood supply can result. If you're nearing menopause (perimenopausal), such a disruption could lead to menopause.
If you want to have children or think you might want to at some point, talk to your doctor about how uterine artery embolization might affect your fertility. Although the risk of entering menopause following the procedure is low, subtle ovarian damage may make getting pregnant more difficult. There also may be an increased risk of pregnancy complications, especially involving abnormal placement of the placenta. Despite these risks, many women have had successful pregnancies following uterine artery embolization.
- The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. Alternatives to hysterectomy in the management of leiomyomas. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2008;112:387.
- Haney AF. Leiomyomata. In: Gibb RS, et al. Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008:916.
- Kim D, et al. Uterine leiomyoma (fibroid) embolization. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2011.
- Kim MD, et al. Long-term results of symptomatic fibroids treated with uterine artery embolization: In conjunction with MR evaluation. European Journal of Radiology. 2010;73:339.
- Marshburn PB, et al. Uterine artery embolization as a treatment option for uterine myomas. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2006;33:125.
- Walker WJ, et al. Long-term follow up of uterine artery embolization - an effective alternative in the treatment of fibroids. BJOG. 2006;113:464.
- Narayan A, et al. Uterine artery embolization versus abdominal myomectomy: A long-term clinical outcome comparison. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. 2010;21:1011.
- The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Myomas and reproductive function. Fertility and Sterility. 2008;90(suppl):S125.
- Van der Kooij SM, et al. Uterine artery embolization vs. hysterectomy in the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids: 5-year outcome from the randomized EMMY trial. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2010;203:105.e1.
- Pron G, et al. Pregnancy after uterine artery embolization for leiomyomata: The Ontario multicenter trial. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2005;105:67.
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