Anyone Have Experience with the UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization)?

I don't think that when you start your period later means you will go into menopause later. I think it depends on when your mother started menopause. If she was very late then you might be, but even that isn't a guarantee. You certainly don't need to be exhausted every month with two teenage girls and a pre-teen, along with a six year old boy. I should imagine that you need all the strength you can muster.

I think I would go back to the GYN and see if they have something else to help you. I hope you manage to get sorted out. a hysterectomy is radical but if it ultimately makes you feel better perhaps it is the best thing.
Good luck anyway

Hi S.,
I have this same problem every month. I was diagnosed with a sub-mucosal fibroid when I was pregnant with my first child--it answered a lot of questions about my previous periods. I am surprised (and disappointed) that your doctor is so ready to do a hysterectomy. Mine is very reluctant to do this--even when there were times when I would plead with him to do it. He's wanted me to try hormone pills which are said to really help. They did for a month then, it was back to the same flow in spite the pills. I hate those pills and the risks associated with them and told him that since I've tried twice without success, I don't want to continue. I've not done the embolization yet--that's the next step. I'm really just waiting to get so tired of being tied to the house three days of every month. My doctor did prescribe some iron supplements to take a few days before and during my period--that helped tremendously with the fatigue.
With regard to the procedure, he (my doctor) has told me that it is very likely to give me some relief, albeit short lived and that the fibroid is likely to return. How soon it will return is individual. It may be worth doing if you suspect menopause is near. My MD is very reluctant to remove a women's uterus. He requires couple counsiling (for women that are married, so that the decision is totally agreed upon by the spouse) and a brief psych evaluation for a single women to ensure she's totally aware of the consequences. He wouldn't even bring up the possibility of doing a hysterectomy unless all other options are exhausted.
Your doing the right thing by asking about this, I've met women that let doctors talk them into a hysterectomy when IT IS NOT NECESSARY.
Best of luck.

I don't have any experience YET with UFE but that was one of the suggestions my doctor mentioned to me. I have been dealing with fibroids for the last 10 years of my life. The last year and a half has been the worse as they have grown tremendously. My advice to you would be to get a second opinion. I particularly am not pleased with the way my doctor chose to handle my issue. So I am getting a second opinion. George Washington University Hospital has the Fibroid and Menstral Disorder center for this very issue and four doctors who are skilled in this area as well. Here is the number to give them a call ###-###-####. Here's the website as well. www.gwhospital.com. A hysterectomy is usually the very last resort for there are about 4 ways that this issue can be treated. All the best to you and I hope this was helpful.
Also you may want to pay close attention to your diet 2 weeks before your cycle as it may be contributing to your symptoms. Try not to eat a lot of fried foods, dairy products and red meat. Stick to fish, beans and high protien foods. You'd be surprised the difference in how you feel.

i have a friend who had it done, with some degree of success. i'd definitely look into it before a hysterectomy.....what the heck is your doctor thinking, going that radical before other options have been explored? i'm aggravated at how yank-happy doctors are when it comes to uteri. you'd think they were ingrown toenails or something.
i started my period late and hit menopause way early. when you begin doesn't dictate when you quit.
khairete
S.

Hi S.,

I had uterine artery embolization for adenomyosis done 11 days ago. It's the exact same procedure, but since I don't have fibroids they renamed it. Ademomyosis (the exact opposite of endometriosis) is when the endometrial lining grows in the the uterine muscle.

For the last 3 years, I had been dealing with heavy menstrual cycles that could last 2 months or more at a time. There was heavy clotting, which kept me from leaving the house at times, for fear that I would soil myself in public. These periods left me dangerously anemic at times and with absolutely no energy; not good when you have a 4 yr. old boy at home. I have had more than 5 sonograms and vaginal ultrasounds, and 3 D&C and have used hormones to diagnosis and stop the bleeding. I was finally diagnosed with adeno this past April using contrast MRI.

I would suggest seeing a Interventional Radiologist for a consult. I used Dr. Sterling at Alexandria Hosp., he is the head of the department and was wonderful. The procedure is quite simple and should certainly be considered before having a hysterectomy. Hysterectomy should be done only after all other procedures have been tried.

The procedure, for me with adeno, has only a 50% success rate. Hopefully I will be in the right 50%. If this doesn't work for me I may try endometrial ablation; ANYTHING before a hysterectomy.

I hope this helps. If you want to send me a message we can talk more off the board.

Take care and good luck,
D.

Hi,

I am 44. Not everyone is a canidate for Embolization. It does work. I was not a canidate for embolization because my fibroids were too big. The emboliztion works because it cuts off the flow of blood which feeds them. If you have high amounts of estrogen that also feeds them and that is why they shrink as you go into menopause.

Three years ago I had a procedure done where they simply go in and remove the fibroids - myomectomy and close you back up. I did not want them to take my uterus. I had an OBGYN tell me to hang onto it as long as you can. It worked like a charm. Because I had had a c-section 20 years earlier, I new what to expect in terms of pain and recovery. Although, this time around, recovery was very very fast. I felt great week 2 and I could have went back to work in 4 weeks. But I milked it and stayed home for 6 weeks.

Since the procedure no discomfort and light cycles. Oh and I lost 25 pounds. I did not know that fibroids can cause you to gain weight.

Oh and I had considerable pain before the procedure. To the point of having to take 800mg of IBU. I missed work ect. Well when the biopsied the fibroids they found endometrial cells and it was deteremined that is what caused the awful pain. Again, I believe removing them completely helped a great deal because it also removed the endometrial cells.

My best friend had this done recently. Her fibroid was grapefruit size. She had A LOT of pain as the fibroid broke up. Months worth. Even with Percoset she was rolled in a ball crying most days. Months later the pain is better but tends to flair up just before her period. Good news is the fibroid has almost completely disintigrated.

They told her that her pain was very rare and in fact they really had no explanation for it. No one could tell her if and when it would go away so the months of pain were a real strain on her emotional health and her relationship with her husband.

Hi S.,

Here are some web sites that might help you decide what to do:

http://www.radiologyinfor.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ufe&bhcp=1

http://www.sirweb.org/patients/uterine-fibroids/

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

S., We have a lot in common so I just thought I would email you...I am a christian, but 2 of my chilren go to pubic school...the 3rd is out of school. I am also 47 and a lot of my freinds home school their children...I get very low iron at that time also...So you build it up and then you lose it all...My iron doctor told me 3 years ago to get a hysterectomy...I told him no..and do not see him anymore..that was my choice..sorry I can not help you with the Fibroid E. Love to talk to you...I have a coupon under member perks..if you want to talk..D.

S.,

I had an embolization in December and I am glad that I did it. I dealt with a large fibroid for over almost 2 years and couldn't stand the pain. I have an IUD and so the bleeding wasn't too bad. I too was hesitant about a hysterectomy as I am 37 with 2 wonderful children. I have been told not to have any more kids because of the surgery but have read that it is possible to have a healthy child after this procedure.

I was awake during the procedure and was able to watch the "tv" during it. I was given a local and felt some pressure but nothing like child birth. The doctor loaded me up with the radioactive beads as it was a good sized fibroid so he used more to shut down the blood flow. I stayed overnight and did alright but I don't do well with anesthesia local or not and had issues with that. I felt better after this surgery than the laporoscopy I had earlier last year- tried to have the fibroid removed that way but no luck.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions please feel free to contact me- ____@____.com.

C. J.

S.,
I had the an embolization after giving birth -- the docs wanted me to have a hysterectomy; I said there had to be a better way. When I had it, the procedure was pretty new (10 years ago), but I understand it's pretty common now. The procedure itself is quick and fairly easy. I can also tell you I had some hormonal responses that had me feeling like I had the flu for about a week. It could have been b/c I'd just given birth, though. I'd ask your doc about it.

Yes, your fibroids will shrink -- after menopause (menopause is defined as the cessation of periods; anything prior to that is perimenopause). Unfortunately, many women with fibroids will bleed excessively, for weeks on end, before menopause happens, requiring a hysterectomy at that point.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get the embolization done now. You'll avoid the excessive bleeding later, your periods will be much lighter, and you'll be able to have less fatigue, get rid of your anemia (which can lead to hypothyroidism -- it did in me), your hair will grow back and you'll literally breathe easier as your blood reoxygenates.

Let me know if you have more questions.

J.