Find the Best & least invasive treatment for uterine fibroids

Understanding Uterine Fibroids

For 20 to 40 percent of women over the age of 35, uterine fibroids are a fact of life. South Miami Heart Center offers effective relief to women struggling with troublesome fibroids. The first step is to review this informative Web page. Educating yourself about your condition will empower you to seek solutions.

About Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous, benign growths or tumors. They may be as small as a pea or as large as a cantaloupe. Although common, fibroids can be troubling and affect a woman’s ability to fully enjoy life.

Symptoms

How do you know if you have a fibroid? Generally, you won’t have symptoms if your fibroid is small. However, if it is large you may experience:

• Pelvic pain
• Heavy, prolonged menstrual bleeding
• Abdominal bloating
• Bladder pressure and urgency to urinate
• Low back pain
• Infertility

Are You at Risk?

You have an increased risk of developing uterine fibroids if you have any of the following risk factors:

• Over age 35
• African-American
• Family history
• Obesity

Treating Uterine Fibroids

If your uterine fibroids are causing you pain and excessive bleeding, you are not alone. Every year, more than 600,000 women have hysterectomies and more than a third of them have the procedure to remove a fibroid. Until recently, hysterectomy was the only method of treating problematic fibroids. At South Miami Heart Center, women now have other options.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE)

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is good news for women with fibroids. This is the best non-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids. This nonsurgical technique shrinks fibroids by cutting off their blood flow. To do this, an interventional radiologist makes a tiny cut in the patient’s groin and inserts a catheter into her femoral artery. An X-ray image is used to “see” and guide the catheter to her uterus. Next, the radiologist injects small plastic particles into the artery feeding the fibroid. These particles block blood flow to the fibroid, causing it to shrink. The patient is sedated, but awake, during the procedure, which generally takes less than two hours. Recovery is quick; most women resume normal activity within 48 hours and return to work in five to seven days. Embolization has been used successfully in other areas of the body for more than 20 years and is effective for nearly 90 percent of patients.

Experience Equals Quality Care

If you’re experiencing painful symptoms because of fibroids, you should consider contacting the experts at South Miami Heart Center. We have highly skilled, experienced physicians who specialize in the minimally invasive UFE procedure.

Fast Facts About UFE:

• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists approves UFE for qualified patients who have completed childbearing.
• 83 percent of UFE patients maintain moderate to “great” improvement of pelvic pain three years after the procedure.
• 73 percent of women are fibroid-free after five years.
• Emerging data shows that fertility can be maintained after UFE.
• UFE patients have a faster recovery and fewer complications than hysterectomy patients.

Physician Referral

Get an online referral to a South Miami Heart Center physician or call the South Miami Heart Center Physician Referral line at 786-662-2222.