Women who undergo uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) have comparable fertility rates to those who have their fibroids surgically removed by myomectomy, according to a new study presented at this week's Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) meeting in Tampa, FL.
Dr. João Martins Pisco of St. Louis Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, and colleagues found a UFE fertility rate of 58.1%, comparable to myomectomy's fertility rate of 57%. They also found that complication rates among women who had undergone UFE were comparable to the general population, with spontaneous abortions at 11.1%, preterm delivery at 10%, and low birth rate at 13.3%.
In the study, 743 women underwent UFE. Of this group, 74 wanted to conceive but had been unable to. Of these 74, 43 became pregnant, with time between UFE and conception ranging from two to 22 months. The women's ages ranged from 29 to 43 years.
Women in the study cohort opted for UFE after a failed myomectomy or in vitro fertilization, or because hysterectomy had been the only suggested option for dealing with their uterine fibroids, Pisco wrote. The women underwent UFE with polyvinyl alcohol particles (PVA) or Embozene microspheres to embolize the uterine arteries.
According to the researchers, 36 pregnancies have come to term, resulting in 30 births; seven women are still pregnant.
The findings are surprising, as other studies have shown myomectomy -- the traditional treatment for uterine fibroids in women who would like to become pregnant -- as having better fertility rates than UFE, according to Pisco.
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