Are you suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding or pelvic pain?
Uterine fibroids are a common cause of heavy bleeding during the monthly period or between periods, and may cause pelvic pain or heaviness. Uterine fibroids are the most common benign growth in women, and may affect nearly 40% of women by age 40. Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is a minimally-invasive treatment option with similar results to surgery, and much faster recovery time!
Symptoms
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Bleeding between periods
- Pelvic pain
- Pelvic heaviness
- Pelvic bloating
Background Information
Uterine Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors of the uterus . They are very common and may be found in up to 40% of adult women. The fibroids cause significant symptoms in a minority of these women, including prolonged and heavy bleeding during or between monthly periods, pelvic pain, a feeling of heaviness in the pelvis, or from symptoms related to pressure on the urinary bladder or rectum.
Treatment Information:
Uterine Fibroid Embolization
Traditional treatment options for symptomatic fibroids include oral contraceptives or surgery. Many women are candidates to have only the fibroids removed (myomectomy or partial hysterectomy), though some require the uterus to be removed, due to the size or number of the fibroids.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is a minimally-invasive alternative to surgery for fibroids. It involves the placement of a tiny catheter into an artery in the upper leg. The catheter is then navigated to the arteries of the uterus, where microscopic particles are injected to block off the blood supply to the uterine fibroids.
Nearly all women will go home either the same day or after one night’s hospital stay and fully return to normal activities within a few days.
Most patients will require only local anesthesia and moderate sedation (‘partial’ anesthesia where patients feel relaxed and calm) to remain comfortable during the procedure
Pain Management:
Some women will experience minor pain and/or low grade fever for a few days after the procedure and these are managed with medications. Women typically experience pain during the procedure and for the first 24 hours after the procedure. This is managed either by spinal anesthesia (similar to childbirth), or by a patient controlled pain medicine (PCA).
UFE vs. Surgery:
The benefits of UFE over surgery include much shorter hospital stay and recovery time, a shorter time to resuming normal activities, and avoidance of the potential complications associated with major surgery (wound infections, abdominal infections, bleeding, scarring…). Multiple clinical trials of the highest scientific standards have shown UFE to be equal or superior to surgery in terms of relief of symptoms and patient satisfaction.
The downside to UFE include a need for a seconday procedure (UFE or surgery) in about 1 in 5 women. In addition, if a woman desires future children and is a candidate for myomectomy (partial hysterectomy), surgery is still the preferred treatment, though many women have had successful pregnancies after UFE. Women considering UFE will also need to undergo an MRI prior to treatment in order to evalute the anatomy and blood supply to the fibroids.
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Dr. Adam Farkas
We believe in partnering with you, in order to alleviate your suffering. Our patients’ concerns are our concerns, and we take pride not only in providing excellent outcomes to our patients, but in seeing a smile on their faces.
National referral center for complex vascular disorders
with 3000 annual procedures performed
Condition FAQ
Please call 02-564-5634 and ask for an appointment in Dr. Farkas’s private clinic in Jerusalem. It is very helpful if you have a pelvic ultrasound or other imaging study of your pelvis (CT or MRI) prior to your clinic visit, though this can also be done after your visit. It is important that if you have a pelvic ultrasound, that it be performed after you’ve been standing for about 10-15 minutes, and that you bear down during the ultrasound. The ultrasound technician or physician should know that they are looking for ‘dilated pelvic veins.’
Once you are seen in Dr. Farkas’s clinic and are determined to be a candidate for the “embolization” procedure, the procedure will be scheduled with our scheduling coordinator. Typically an appointment can be given within a few weeks time. The embolization procedure is generally covered by your kuppat cholim. You will have the option of doing the procedure via “sharap” which allows you to guarantee that Dr. Farkas (and not another physician in the department) performs your procedure. Doing the procedure via “sharap” is generally covered by private insurance and involves a co-payment if done via kuppat cholim. Our scheduling coordinator at 02-655-5014 will be happy to explain the details.
You can expect to have your procedure performed in the morning of your appointed date. The procedure typically takes 1-2 hours, during which you will be partially sedated (partially asleep). You will then go home several hours after the procedure, typically in the late afternoon/evening time. You can expect to require 1-3 days of oral pain medications at home and you should be able to return to your normal activities within 1-2 days.
You will be asked to follow up in Dr. Farkas’s clinic several weeks after your procedure. If pain relief is insufficient, some patients may require a second procedure (in order to “embolize” additional pelvic veins) though most patients are expected to obtain good symptomatic relief and not require any additional treatment.
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