A Breakthrough Treatment for Uterine Fibroids

What if there was a condition that affected up to 80% of adult African-American women and made the lives of many of these women absolutely miserable? What if there was a procedure that could replace the surgery that is typically done for this condition and relieve the suffering of over a million women in this country? Women who want to overcome this condition without undergoing surgery.

Uterine Fibroids

There is such a condition called uterine fibroids, and there is a significant medical breakthrough non-surgical procedure. This procedure is the Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). The public health and economic burden particularly for women of color is immense. Aside from obesity, it would be hard to find a more pressing health issue for women in this country, and yet it has garnered very little attention. Given the potential to improve the lives of so many women, it is puzzling that women are not aware of the UFE procedure and its ability to help end this disparity. 

Uterine fibroids are the most common pelvic tumor in women. While they are benign, they cause significant issues for many women. Menstrual periods lasting for 1-2 weeks each month, episodes of blood pouring down their legs, or passing fist-sized blood clots. These are just some of the symptoms these women endure. They often cannot work for several days each month due to disability and embarrassment from this condition. Uterine fibroids can also cause pelvic pain and pressure, increased urinary frequency, and even urinary incontinence. 

Who Is Likely To Develop Them?

Fibroids are 3x more prevalent in African-American women than Caucasian women. These women have a compromised quality of life and impairment in many domains including work productivity, sexuality, self-image, relationships, and social, emotional, and physical well-being. Unfortunately, most women are only offered one option for relief: surgery. While hysterectomy does end a woman’s fibroid problem, it comes at a very steep price. Women facing this decision are typically in their thirties and forties. Losing one’s uterus at this age can be devastating, even if the women have completed childbearing. The“after-effects” of hysterectomy include depression and despair from losing the womb, loss of sexual desire, urinary incontinence, and immediate menopause. 

The Breakthrough Treatment

However, Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) provides the solution and is covered by all insurance providers. UFE is a revolutionary outpatient medical procedure, and does not involve a hospital, a surgeon, or a robot. It is performed by an Interventional Radiologist, a physician that is specifically trained in image-guided targeted procedures. UFE has a long (~25 years) track record of safety and efficacy. Patients experience relief of symptoms in 90% of cases and completely avoids the risks and long recovery of surgery. Patients are discharged after a several hour recovery with just a band-aid. They will recover at home for several days and return to work typically in one week (versus a typical 2 month recovery with surgery). Therefore compared to surgery, UFE is safer, less invasive, has a much shorter recovery, and the woman keeps her uterus and preserves her fertility!

We encourage everyone to educate themselves on UFE. July is Fibroid Awareness Month and please consider sharing our social media campaign #DontLoseUrU. Please spread this information and help the grassroots effort to end this healthcare disparity and allow women the option to keep their uterus. 

About The Author

John C. Lipman, MD, FSIR  is a board-certified Interventional Radiologist and renowned authority in the non-surgical treatment of uterine fibroids. He is the Founder and Medical Director of the Atlanta Fibroid Center. He is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Morehouse School of Medicine.

John C. Lipman, MD, FSIR

Founder & Medical Director

Atlanta Fibroid Center