Hysterectomy or uterine artery embolization?

Most women have heard of hysterectomy, being removal of the uterus, for treating uterine fibroids but many may not be familiar with uterine artery embolization (UAE). This is a procedure where arteries leading to the fibroids are blocked so that the fibroids effectively starve and shrink. This procedure can be used on its own to treat fibroids but can also be used to shrink very large fibroids before carrying out a hysterectomy.
UAE has advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional hysterectomy.

Advantages of uterine artery embolization

• it has fewer complications
• it takes less time to recover from the procedure compared to hysterectomy

Disadvantages of uterine artery embolization

• it was less effective at curing symptoms associated with fibroids
• women were more likely to require further treatment for their symptoms, including a hysterectomy in some cases

In spite of these disadvantages, women were more likely to recommend UAE to their friends than a hysterectomy. UAE will definitely be popular among working women considering the shorter recovery time compared to hysterectomy.
Source

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