When is uterine artery embolisation recommended for uterine fibroids?

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in or around the uterus. Treatment is usually considered when symptoms affect daily life, cause heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, create pelvic pressure, or lead to pain, frequent urination or constipation. Embolisation is a minimally invasive procedure in which an interventional radiologist guides a thin tube into the blood vessels supplying the fibroids and releases small particles to reduce their blood flow. The fibroids then shrink over time.

A clinician may discuss this option when medicines have not controlled symptoms, medicines are unsuitable, or surgery such as myomectomy is not preferred. The decision depends on the fibroids’ size, number and position, your general health, and whether preserving future pregnancy options is a priority. The effect on fertility and pregnancy needs a careful individual discussion; embolisation may not be the first choice for someone actively planning pregnancy.

Arrange a gynaecology assessment and imaging, often an ultrasound and sometimes magnetic resonance imaging, to map the fibroids and check that they explain your symptoms. Tell the team about previous pelvic procedures, allergies, medicines, bleeding problems and any possibility of pregnancy. Ask how your symptoms may change, what recovery involves, and which alternatives fit your goals. Read more about [Uterine Fibroids](/conditions/uterine-fibroids/) and [Uterine Artery Embolisation](/treatments/gynaecological-surgery/uterine-artery-embolisation/).

Contact your healthcare team promptly after embolisation for fever, worsening or severe pelvic pain, increasing bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, difficulty passing urine, or a wound that becomes red, swollen or increasingly painful. Seek urgent help for very heavy bleeding, fainting, severe weakness, chest pain, trouble breathing, or sudden one-sided leg swelling. Before treatment, seek prompt assessment for heavy bleeding with dizziness or breathlessness, severe new pelvic pain, or bleeding after menopause.

Ask which fibroid is causing your symptoms, whether embolisation is suitable for its location, how it compares with medicines or myomectomy, and what the plan would be if symptoms continue. If you may want a pregnancy, ask specifically about fertility-focused alternatives and the timing of any treatment.