Singapore, September: About 40-50 percent of women will develop uterine fibroids during their reproductive years. While majority of fibroids are harmless, they may cause some women symptoms such as heavy bleeding, pain during intercourse and frequent urination.

Vascular & Interventional Centre (VIC), a Singapore-based vascular clinic, now provides a non- surgical and minimally invasive treatment option for uterine fibroids known as Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (UFE).

What is Uterine Fibroid Embolisation (UFE)?

UFE is a non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment option used to reduce the size of fibroid tumors in the uterus. Unlike invasive or surgical procedures like a myomectomy or hysterectomy, UFE offers patients a reduced recovery time, the ability to successfully preserve their uterus and lower complication rate with reductions of pain and blood loss. UFE is done as an outpatient day procedure with the patient going home 2-3 hours after the procedure.

The Procedure Can Be Described as Follows:

  • UFE is done via a groin or radial artery access puncture.

  • A catheter is then guided using fluoroscopy, a type of x-ray technology, to the arteries that supply the uterus and the fibroids specifically

  • Small particles or microspheres are then injected into the arteries supplying the fibroids, thus cutting off the blood supply to the fibroids. Post-procedure, these fibroids should start to shrink and reduce in size.

What to Expect after UFE

You may experience mild to severe cramps for several days after the procedure. Most women will recover fully and resume normal activities after a week.Most women who undergo this procedure report improvements in their symptoms and a decrease in the size of their uterine fibroids. If their menstruation has been heavy, it will usually return to a more normal flow after UFE.

About VIC

The team of clinical specialists at VIC comprises of Dr. Benjamin Chua, Vascular Surgeon and Dr. Manish Taneja, Interventional Radiologist. Together as a team, they provide comprehensive vascular and interventional clinical care for patients. VIC has clinics at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Farrer Park Hospital and a Day Surgery Centre at Novena Specialist Centre. The Day Surgery Centre is fully accredited and licensed by the Ministry of Health Singapore and is also a Medisave-accredited facility for patients who wish to utilise their Medisave funds for procedures done at VIC.

For More Information

If you’d like to know more about Uterine Fibroids or Uterine Fibroid Embolization, you can find out more in the hyperlinks to the VIC website.