Re: New here and going for a UFE/UAE

June 22, 2004

Hi there!!!!

You know, you are VERY LUCKY!!!!! Do you know why? Your gyno has

steered you in the right direction!!!!! This is highly unusual!!!

Most gyno's right off the bat say, " hysto " thats it.!!!! But your

gyno has given you the best advice. Most gyno's won't even mention

the UFE, and when they do, they say many rumors that steer people

away. Very true about the myo's. Chances are they'll grow right

back and you'll be dealing with the same thing in a few years.

Although recently someone posted that when your in your mid 40's Dr.

West said that chances are they might not grow back. I'd be more

interested in hearing about that if I ever need to go that route. I

am 43 and had my UFE last Jan. So far, doing great. Bleeding

problems are a thing of the past. I still pee often though. I

can't quite figure this out. More so when period is approaching,

and ovulation. I think the uterus swells more at these times.

Anyway, back to you. Guess what? More good news.....Dr. Kirsch is

the UFE guru!!!!!! He's done over 1700. He's the best of the best.

He posts on the embo group once in a while and (thats the yahoo

embo group) he recommended my IR here in CT. Fantastic doctor.

Good luck. Your in the best of hands.

Jen

> Hello everyone! I have been lurking for a short while and am so

> pleased to have found a great source of personal stories to learn

> from.

>

> I am 42 and only just found I have a single large fibroid about 9-

> 10cm (depending on which test you look at) and, most likely, some

> smaller ones too. I am very lucky that my symptoms have been few

> (no major bleeding) but have a lot of pelvic pressure, frequency

of

> urination, and some constipation. I was told by my doctor that my

> choices were UAE or hysterectomy, they are not recommending a myo

> because they think other broids will develop and I will have to go

> for surgery again in a few years. I am pretty sure this is also

> because menopause is probably 10+ years away and I am done having

> children.

>

> I was referred to Dr. Worthington-Kirsch in Philly, PA and I

> scheduled the UAE procedure for the end of August due to a busy

> summer. But am second guessing myself, probably because I have

> never been hospitalized for anything except to have babies. I am

> hoping to hear from others that have undergone the UAE procedure

and

> if anyone has personal experience with Dr. Worthington-Kirsch.

> Thanks!

June 22, 2004

I don't know about studies about post embo pregnancy, but I can tell

you from researching with my own health insurance, they DON'T cover

it if you are looking to preserve the uterus for future pregnancies

but they DO for the treatment of fibroids (more details here

http://www.cigna.com/health/provider/medical/procedural/coverage_posi

tions/medical/mm_0018_coveragepositioncriteria_uterine_artery_emboliz

ation.pdf)

Since the whole idea of the procedure is to reduce the blood supply

to the uterus, then the question of a successful pregnancy post embo

may not have enough positive documentation for companies and doctors

to support the procedure. More likely there is documentation

supporting pregnancy complications post embolization.

And Jen, I have a very cool gyn. She doesn't do OB or surgery (and

probably much less rushed and stressed!), so I knew if I consulted

with her I would get good choices for me, not just what a doctor

felt would be best for him/her. My gyn said that there were drs

locally that could do the procedure, with maybe 20-40 patients

prior, or I could go to Dr. Kirsch who has done over 1000+.

When I went for my consult with Dr. Kirsch, I had printed out one of

the web " scare " pages (as I call them) of all the things that could

go wrong during or as a result of the procedure. Dr. Kirsch

answered each one logically and with statistics (which, I may add,

was MISSING from the scare page info). By the way, I too asked

about sexual dysfunction and was assured that it should not be an

issue. My personal research indicated that the cervical vaginal

arteries should not be embolized so this should be specified prior

to the procedure.

Tangy, I think the only way the fibroid would grow again would be if

the blood supply was re-established, which I believe would be

difficult given the nature of this procedure. But since your doc

doesn't think this is a good procedure for you, maybe ask her to be

more specific. Just remember the magic word..... " WHY? "

Terry

> Hi Jen-

>

> I have a question. Now I am getting confused one gyn

> today told me that she would not recommend the UFE

> operation to me because this type of procedure could

> threaten my chances of having children in the future (

> I am childless) apparently there are certain vessels

> that are cut that can be vital. Also she said with

> this operation the fibroid is not removed (as it is

> with a myo) it just shrinks so there is a risk of the

> same fibroid growing again. And lastly, she said that

> there are not enough case studies to verify that this

> operation could be good for me. I also found

> information on the internet about possible sexual

> dysfunction after the UFE operation. I know this is

> personal but I am just trying to navigate thru all of

> my possibilities. I have been struggling for so long

> I just want to do the best thing for me, my uterus,

> and my cervis.

June 24, 2004

Tangy wrote:

Also she said with this operation the fibroid is not removed (as it is with

a myo) it just shrinks so there is a risk of the same fibroid growing again.

And lastly, she said that there are not enough case studies to verify that

this operation could be good for me.

***********

Tangy, I think your doc is trying to discourage you with some

incomplete/incorrect info. Although the fibroid is not removed with UFE, it

is KILLED. Dead is dead -- something that is dead in the body does not

start growing again. With both UFE and myomectomy, there is a chance of NEW

fibroids developing, but since UAE kills ALL fibroids, even very, very small

ones that may typically be missed during a routine myomectomy, your odds of

seeing new fibroids quickly are less with UAE than with myo.

As far as " not enough case studies " , this is a subjective opinion and I

think many, many doctors would disagree with her. UAE has been done in the

US for over 8 years, I believe and in Europe for longer than that. There

has also been quite a lot of research and follow-up on UAE outcomes which

has been published in peer-reviewed medical journals. The one thing you can

say about UAE and research is that we don't know the outcomes say, 25 years

down the road, as the procedure hasn't been around that long yet.

Leonie

" The line that divides Good versus Evil runs NOT between nations or parties

or armies... but right down the middle of every human soul. " -Solzhenitsyn

June 24, 2004