Embolization is a medical procedure in which localized blood supply is purposely blocked. Embolization of the arteries of the uterus has been used successfully by interventional radiologists for more than 20 years to treat abnormal vascular formations and to control post-partum or post-operative bleeding. In recent years, uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) has emerged as a non-surgical alternative to treat fibroids by selectively blocking their blood supply. Without blood flow, the fibroids will significantly shrink in size and stop bleeding. Symptoms of heavy bleeding and symptoms related to the size of the fibroids usually dramatically improve or disappear.

The advantages of UFE are that it is minimally invasive, does not require a general anesthetic or a surgical incision, preserves the uterus, allows a faster recovery and is highly effective.

If you are one of the few women for whom UFE is not effective in eliminating fibroids and their symptoms, then you still have the other treatment options available to you. Since 1995, tens of thousands of women in the United States and worldwide have been successfully treated with UFE.