Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) can help restore fertility, according to a study published June 13 in Radiology.
Uterine fibroids are considered one of the most common causes of infertility and pregnancy complications, according to study co-author Dr. João Martins Pisco of Saint Louis Hospital in Lisbon. The standard treatment is surgical removal of the fibroids, but it isn't always possible or effective and can result in complications such as hysterectomy, Pisco and colleagues wrote. UFE is less invasive and can be performed in patients who have had prior surgery for fibroids.
For the study, the researchers tracked pregnancy rates in 359 women with uterine fibroids who were unable to conceive and who underwent either conventional or partial UFE. After an average follow-up of six years, 149 of the 359 women, or 41.5%, had become pregnant one or more times; 131 gave birth to a total of 150 babies.
"Our findings show that UFE is a fertility-restoring procedure in women with uterine fibroids who wish to conceive, and pregnancy following UFE appears to be safe with low morbidity," Pisco said in a statement released by the journal.
