Why is embolization the ideal treatment for most fibroids?

Because: ​

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1. Embolization is a treatment method that preserves the uterus and ovaries, killing only the fibroids. In contrast, in hysterectomy you lose your uterus, in myomectomy the risk of losing the uterus is more or less always present. ​ ​

 

2. Embolization is performed in one session, regardless of the number of uterine fibroids, and has the potential to kill all uterine fibroids with a single treatment. In myomectomy, each fibroid must be removed and operated individually. Therefore, embolization should be considered the treatment of choice in patients with more than one fibroid. ​ ​

 

3. In patients with multiple fibroids, some fibroids may not be removed by myomectomy and these fibroids may grow and recur over time. Embolization can kill all uterine fibroids, even those not seen on ultrasound or MRI. Therefore, the probability of recurrence of fibroids after embolization is much lower. In one study, the recurrence rate in patients with multiple fibroids was 60% after myomectomy while only 8% after embolization. ​ ​

 

4. Pregnancy is possible after embolization. In the early years, there was an assumption that embolization therapy was not suitable for women wishing to become pregnant. However, there are thousands of women who gave birth healthy after embolization, and there are many women who have children and even twins among our patients. In a recent study, it was shown that more than half of the women who wanted to get pregnant after fibroid embolization were able to get pregnant by normal means, and a significant part of them were able to get pregnant with assisted methods and gave birth normally. ​ ​

 

5. Embolization is a non-surgical treatment, so there are no risks of a surgical operation, and since there is no surgical incision on the abdomen the cosmetic appearance is perfectly preserved. The patient does not receive general anesthesia and can return to normal life after staying in the hospital for 1-2 days. In myomectomy and hysterectomy, the time to return to normal life may take 4-6 weeks. ​ ​

 

Video: 5 reasons to prefer embolization in myoma, Prof Dr Saim Yılmaz