A recent study published in the journal Radiology found that conventional and partial Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) may be a safe and effective treatment option for women with fibroids who want to conceive1. The purpose of the study was to determine pregnancy rates after conventional and partial UFE.
A population of 359 women with uterine fibroids and/or adenomyosis who were unable to conceive was split into two groups: 160 of these women received a partial UFE while the remaining 199 women were given conventional UFE procedures. In a partial UFE, only the small arteries to the fibroids are embolized, compared to a conventional UFE in which all arteries to the fibroids are embolized.
The study resulted in 149 women becoming pregnant, and 16 women had multiple pregnancies after the study. The initial pregnancies were successful, leading to 150 live births. The UFE procedures were also 79 percent effective at relieving fibroid-related symptoms across all women who participated in the study.
About the Fibroid Fighters Foundation
The Fibroids Fighters Foundation is a public welfare organization created to advance the cause of women’s health and the safe, effective treatment of uterine fibroids. Its mission is to educate the American public about the health, social, and economic damages caused by uterine fibroids, focusing on research for and advances in fibroid disease treatment.
1. radiology.rsna.org. Radiology: Volume 285: Number 1. October 2017.