Bleeding that controls your calendar
Very heavy or long periods, bleeding between cycles, or needing to change protection constantly can disrupt daily life.
Uterine Fibroid Embolization
Treat fibroids without open surgery.
Heavy periods, anemia, pelvic pressure, and frequent trips to the bathroom can take over your month. UFE targets the arteries feeding fibroids through a tiny wrist or groin puncture—so your uterus stays in place.
An evaluation reviews your symptoms, imaging, medical history, and pregnancy goals before treatment is recommended.
✓
No open abdominal incision
Catheter access is through a small wrist or groin puncture.
✓
Treat multiple fibroids
UFE reaches the blood supply feeding fibroids throughout the uterus.
✓
Often back in 7–10 days
Recovery varies, and your plan is tailored to you.
When Fibroids Start Running Your Life
Treatment becomes worth discussing when the symptoms—not just the scan—are affecting your energy, comfort, work, relationships, or plans.
Pressure you can feel
Pelvic heaviness, abdominal fullness, bloating, back pain, or discomfort during sex may come from fibroid size and location.
A bladder or bowel that will not wait
Frequent urination, waking at night, constipation, or rectal pressure can happen when fibroids crowd nearby organs.
Fatigue from blood loss
Heavy bleeding can contribute to iron-deficiency anemia, leaving you tired, short of breath, lightheaded, or unable to keep your usual pace.
Already diagnosed with fibroids?
Discuss My Fibroid OptionsBring your ultrasound or MRI. EVSLA can review whether the anatomy and your goals make UFE worth considering.
How UFE Shrinks Fibroids From the Inside
Your interventional radiologist treats the arteries feeding the fibroids—not the uterus through an open incision.
01
Begin through a tiny puncture
After numbing the access site, a thin catheter enters an artery at the wrist or groin. Sedation and monitoring are tailored to you.
02
Guide the catheter to the uterine arteries
Live X-ray guidance and contrast help the specialist navigate precisely to the vessels supplying the fibroids.
03
Deliver particles to the fibroid supply
Small medical particles travel into the targeted branches, slowing the blood flow the fibroids need to survive.
04
Let the fibroids soften and shrink
Over the following months, treated fibroids lose volume. Bleeding may improve before pressure symptoms fully settle.
UFE can treat multiple fibroids in one procedure. The goal is symptom relief—not a promise that every fibroid disappears or that another treatment will never be needed.
Could UFE Fit What You Want From Treatment?
The best choice connects your symptoms and scan with what matters to you—keeping your uterus, avoiding open surgery, recovery time, and future pregnancy goals.
UFE may be worth discussing if you...
✓
Have fibroids causing real symptomsHeavy bleeding, anemia, pelvic pressure, pain, urinary frequency, or bulk symptoms are affecting your life.
✓
Want to keep your uterusUFE treats the blood supply to the fibroids without removing the uterus.
✓
Prefer a catheter-based optionYou want to explore treatment through a small puncture instead of an open abdominal incision.
✓
Have more than one fibroidEmbolization can reach the shared arterial network feeding fibroids in different areas of the uterus.
Let’s compare options carefully if...
!
Future pregnancy is a priorityPregnancy can occur after UFE, but fertility effects remain uncertain. Myomectomy may fit some pregnancy goals better.
!
The diagnosis is not fully settledUnusual imaging, rapid change, abnormal bleeding, or cancer concern may require gynecologic testing before UFE.
!
There is active infection or pregnancyThese can make embolization inappropriate until the situation is evaluated and resolved.
Your scan is only part of the decision. EVSLA reviews the fibroid pattern, symptoms, prior treatment, health history, and goals before recommending UFE or directing you toward another option.
Compare the Paths Before You Choose
UFE, myomectomy, and hysterectomy solve different problems. The right fit depends on fibroid location, symptoms, pregnancy plans, and how definitive you want treatment to be.
UFE
Reduces blood flow to fibroids so they soften and shrink while the uterus remains in place.
AccessSmall wrist or groin puncture
TreatsMultiple fibroids through their arterial supply
RecoveryOften around 7–10 days; varies by patient
ImportantFertility and pregnancy effects are not fully predictable
Myomectomy
Removes selected fibroids while leaving the uterus in place. The surgical approach depends on their size and location.
AccessHysteroscopic, laparoscopic, robotic, or open
TreatsFibroids the surgeon can safely remove
RecoveryVaries from days to several weeks by approach
ImportantOften considered when future pregnancy is a major goal
Hysterectomy
Removes the uterus and provides definitive treatment for uterine fibroids.
AccessVaginal, laparoscopic, robotic, or open
TreatsThe uterus and all fibroids within it
RecoveryDepends on the surgical approach and health
ImportantPregnancy is no longer possible afterward
Other paths may also fit. Medication, watchful waiting, radiofrequency ablation, and other focused treatments can be appropriate. A good consultation explains the tradeoffs without pressuring you toward a procedure.
Plan for the First Week. Improve Over the Months.
UFE avoids open surgery, but it is still a real procedure. Honest recovery planning makes the first days easier.
01
Recover while symptoms are controlled
Your team watches the puncture site and manages pain or nausea. Discharge timing depends on how you feel and the care setting.
02
Expect the strongest cramping
Pelvic cramps, fatigue, nausea, appetite change, or a low fever can occur as part of post-embolization syndrome.
03
Build back toward your routine
Many patients return to usual activities during this window. Follow your own restrictions for exercise, work, bathing, and sexual activity.
04
Track symptom improvement
Bleeding may improve before pressure symptoms. Fibroids can continue shrinking for months, with follow-up based on your response.
!
Your discharge plan tells you exactly when to call.
Uncontrolled pain, high or persistent fever, heavy bleeding, worsening vomiting, puncture-site bleeding, or a cold or discolored leg needs prompt medical guidance.
Check Your Coverage Before Treatment
UFE may be covered when fibroid symptoms and medical necessity meet your plan’s rules. EVSLA can help review known benefits, referrals, network status, and authorization requirements before treatment.
Benefit verification is not a guarantee of coverage or payment. Your insurer makes the final determination.
Three board-certified specialists
From imaging review through follow-up, your EVSLA specialist keeps the plan clear and coordinates the next step around your symptoms and goals.
Harout Dermendjian, MD
Endovascular SpecialistMeet Dr. Dermendjian
Clear evaluation, image-guided treatment planning, and follow-up in one connected care path.
Kartik Kansagra, MD
Endovascular SpecialistMeet Dr. Kansagra
A collaborative approach that connects imaging findings with what matters most to the patient.
Sipan Mathevosian, MD
Endovascular SpecialistMeet Dr. Mathevosian
Vascular and interventional radiology experience across embolization and complex image-guided care.
Fibroid consultations across three Los Angeles-area locations
UFE Questions
Direct answers about the treatment, recovery, fertility, and coverage.
Yes. Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) and uterine artery embolization (UAE) describe the same catheter-based approach when it is used to treat fibroids. UFE is the more patient-facing name.
An interventional radiologist guides a thin catheter into the uterine arteries and delivers small particles that reduce blood flow to the fibroids. The fibroids then soften and shrink gradually, which can reduce bleeding, pressure, and pain.
No. The uterus stays in place during UFE. The procedure treats the blood supply to the fibroids rather than surgically removing the uterus or cutting out each fibroid.
Pelvic cramping can be strong during the first few days, and nausea, fatigue, or a low fever can occur as part of post-embolization syndrome. Your care team plans medication and follow-up to help manage these expected symptoms.
Many patients return to regular activities in about 7 to 10 days, but recovery varies. Fibroid-related bleeding, pain, and pressure usually improve gradually over the following months rather than immediately.
Pregnancy is possible after UFE, but its effects on fertility and future pregnancy are not fully predictable. If pregnancy is an important goal, compare UFE and myomectomy with an OB-GYN and interventional radiologist before choosing treatment.
Many plans may cover UFE when it is medically necessary, but benefits, network rules, referrals, and prior authorization vary. EVSLA can help check known benefits, but verification does not guarantee payment.
Find Out If UFE Fits Your Fibroid Symptoms
EVSLA can review your bleeding, pressure symptoms, prior treatment, imaging, and goals—then explain whether uterine fibroid embolization or another option makes more sense.