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Stop Pelvic Pain Without Hysterectomy
an article from the Spring 2008 issue of…
If you live with constant abdominal pain and pressure or excessive menstrual bleeding, you're not alone. Almost three in four women develop noncancerous tumors in the uterus called uterine fibroids, which can cause these symptoms. These fibroids also can result in back pain, pain during intercourse and difficulty passing urine or having bowel movements. But, about 40 percent of women who have these fibroids never experience any symptoms.
Available Option
"Doctors kept telling me I needed a hysterectomy," Marcia recalled. But because she didn't want surgery or to have her uterus removed, she lived with the discomfort.
Hysterectomy — removing the uterus, or womb — used to be the mainstay to treat uterine fibroids. Now, a gentler alternative known as uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is available at Harbor Hospital. According to interventional radiologist Andrew Brown, M.D., this procedure relieves heavy bleeding in about 90 percent of cases.
Women who undergo UFE avoid major surgery — including its risks and complications — and typically recover within seven to 10 days. Other benefits of the procedure include:
- keeping the uterus,
- virtually no blood loss,
- resolving most post-procedural pain within a few days and
- a very low chance of needing hormone replacement after the procedure.
UFE — also known as uterine arterial embolization — involves an incision in the groin about the size of the end of a pen. A surgical tube is guided to the arteries that feed the uterus, and sand-sized particles are placed in the arteries to block blood flow. This causes tumors to shrink, relieving pain and pressure.
Is It Right for You?
Uterine fibroids are most common in women older than 30. African-American women also are at higher risk.
A simple imaging test that provides details about the size and shape of the tumors can determine if you're a good candidate for UFE.
After having this procedure at Harbor Hospital, Marcia said she was comfortable for the first time in two decades. "There's no more pressure," she said. "I feel completely different. I'm a new person."
Women's Services
Back Pain
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
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