Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care

Pain Management Physicians & Vein Specialists located across Northwest Indiana

If you experience pelvic pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal bloating, or other symptoms caused by uterine fibroids, you can get relief without surgery when you choose to have uterine fibroid embolization. The uterine fibroid specialists at Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care are leaders in the field of fibroid embolization, offering this cutting-edge treatment so that women can get the help they need while preserving their uterus. To learn more about uterine fibroid embolization, call the office in Hobart, LaPorte, Munster, or Valparaiso, Indiana, or book an appointment online.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization Q & A

What is uterine fibroid embolization?

Embolization is a procedure that allows the team at Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care to treat uterine fibroids by cutting off the blood supply to the growths. Without blood, the fibroids shrink, which relieves your symptoms and preserves the health of your uterus.

What are uterine fibroids?

Uterine fibroids are benign (noncancerous) muscular tumors that grow in or on your uterus. Though they most often develop in the muscular wall of the uterus, they can also grow inside the uterine cavity and on the outside of the uterus.

You can have fibroids in multiple locations at the same time, and you can have fibroids of varying sizes. Some fibroids are so small they’re never detected, while others get large enough to cause severe symptoms.

What symptoms develop if I have uterine fibroids?

As one or more uterine fibroids enlarge, you may experience:

Pelvic pain
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Long menstrual periods
Menstrual cramps
Bleeding between periods
Fatigue due to anemia
Abdominal bloating
Urinary frequency
Constipation
Lower back pain
Pain during intercourse

In severe cases, uterine fibroids can also lead to infertility or cause a miscarriage.

What should I expect during uterine fibroid embolization?

After applying a local anesthetic, your provider at Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care makes a tiny cut in your groin and inserts a catheter into a blood vessel. Using real-time X-ray imaging, they guide the catheter through your blood vessels until they reach the artery supplying blood to the fibroid.

Once the catheter is in position, your provider releases tiny particles called embolic agents. The particles stick to the blood vessel wall, blocking the artery and stopping blood from reaching the fibroid.

If you have more than one fibroid, your provider repeats the procedure, moving the catheter to the blood vessels serving each fibroid and releasing embolic agents.

What should I expect after uterine fibroid embolization?

You should expect to have pain following your embolization, but it typically goes away after about two days. Some women also develop post-embolization syndrome, which includes symptoms such as cramping, pelvic pain, fatigue, a low-grade fever, nausea, and vomiting.

If you develop post-embolization syndrome, your symptoms should improve within 2-7 days. Recovery is fast for most women. Your symptoms continue to improve over the next three months, leading to significant pain relief in 90% of women. Additionally, 95% of women experience lighter menstrual periods.

If you would like to learn more about uterine fibroid embolization, call Centers for Pain Control and Vein Care, or book an appointment online.