Is there pain in embolization?

Pain is the most common complaint of patients after fibroid embolization. It is normal to have pain after uterine fibroid embolization and this occurs as a result of the fibroids becoming bloodless and dead. Pain can be felt more or less depending on many factors.

 

Some patients may feel pain less than others, while others may feel more. If embolization is performed just before menstruation, patients usually feel more pain, so it would be more appropriate to perform the procedure in the weeks after menstruation. In our experience, younger patients feel more pain after embolization than middle-aged patients, and patients with single fibroids feel more pain than patients with multiple fibroids, and finally, patients with fibroids generally feel more pain than patients with adenomyosis. ​ ​

 

The experience of the physician and his/her team who performs the embolization  directly affects the amount of pain the patient experiences. Strong narcotic painkillers should be used after embolization. However, especially in hospitals where embolization is not done or infrequently performed, both doctors and nurses are reluctant to use such drugs, and this may cause the patient to suffer unnecessary pain. If the patient feels pain after embolization, it is very important to give adequate doses of strong painkillers.

 

​After embolization, the pain is usually felt the most on the first day and gradually decreases in the following days. It is possible to reduce the pain felt on the first day by 80-90% with a nerve block (superior hypogastric nerve block) performed with a thin needle from the abdomen during embolization. Our team has made some innovations in this application, ensuring that the pain relief feature continues also in the following days. In this way, it is possible to say that our patients feel much less pain after the embolization procedure. ​ ​

 

Video: Myoma embolization from A to Z, Prof Dr Saim Yılmaz