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How Much Does Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) Cost?

“The overall cost of Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) in India and Dubai (UAE) starts from USD 2800 and USD 6000 respectively. On the other hand, the same treatment costs around $28000 in the US. The cost of uterine fibroid embolization in India is one of the lowest in the world. It is, in fact, estimated that the cost of UFE Treatment in India is just one-tenth the cost of the same procedure in the Western countries, including the US, UK, and Canada.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization
  • Muscular tumors that can develop on the lining of the uterus are called uterine fibroids, which doctors may sometimes refer to as leiomyomas or myomas. They hardly ever progress to malignancy, and having them does not increase the possibility of developing uterine cancer.
  • The size, shape, and location of fibroids can vary greatly. They may manifest within the uterus, on its surface, or in the uterine wall. They may also use a stalk- or stem-like structure to adhere to the uterus.
  • The doctor can’t even notice some of them since they are so little. Others develop in large masses that may change the uterus’ size and shape.
  • They can arise at any age, but they typically appear in women who are 30 to 40 years old and of childbearing potential.
  • Uterine fibroids are treated using uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), often referred to as uterine artery embolization. The technique, which is minimally invasive, is carried out under the influence of local anesthesia.
  • With the assistance of a fluoroscope, the non-cancerous tumor in the uterine wall is removed during UFE. Usually, in women, excessive menstrual blood flow is caused by uterine fibroids.

Types of Uterine Fibroids

Non-cancerous tumors called uterine fibroids develop in the uterine muscles. Uterine fibroids come in four different varieties:

  • The most prevalent type of fibroids, intramural fibroids are found in the uterine wall.
  • Subserosal fibroids: These tumors are found on the uterus’s external wall. These could eventually transform into pedunculated fibroids. These could become noticeably larger.
  • Submucosal fibroids: Fibroids called submucosal fibroids are located in the muscles that lie beneath the uterine wall lining.
  • Cervical fibroids: Fibroids in the cervical region of the uterus are known as cervical fibroids.

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The Cost Factor

  • A novel method of treating uterine fibroids is called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE).
  • For patients who want to preserve their uterus, it may be a useful alternative.
  • Embolization of uterine fibroids is both safe and affordable.
  • The cost of embolization varies depending on what each doctor charges and what insurance plans cover.
  • It is impossible to give a definite price for the embolization process due to these differences. However, most insurance companies accept the cost of the UFE.
  • Compared to hysterectomy and myomectomy, uterine fibroids embolization is a more affordable option.
  • According to a study, UFE is 12% less expensive than a hysterectomy and 8% less expensive than a myomectomy.
  • When both direct medical expenses and unreported expenditures associated with the fibroid treatment procedure are taken into account, the figures could end up being substantially higher.
  • UFE in nations like India saves you up to 75% of the cost in the West.
  • In the USA, a uterine fibroids embolization typically costs $20,000 to perform however, the identical procedure in nations like India, costs 75% less while still being of great quality.

Causes of Uterine Fibroids

Experts are unsure about the precise cause of fibroids. One might be more prone to developing them due to hormones and heredity.

Hormones:
The chemicals estrogen and progesterone cause the lining of the uterus to thicken each month during your period. They appear to influence fibroid growth as well. Fibroids typically shrink during menopause as hormone synthesis decreases.

Genetics:
Researchers have discovered genetic variations between uterine fibroids and healthy cells.

Additional growth factors:
The development of fibroid tumors may be influenced by substances in the body that assist with tissue maintenance, such as insulin-like growth factors.

ECM, or extracellular matrix:
Cells in the body stick together because of the ECM. Because fibroids include more ECM than typical cells, they are fibrous. Additionally, the ECM contains growth factors and allows for cell change.

Signs & Symptoms

  • A patient may experience the following symptoms in the case of uterine fibroids:
  • Heavy menstrual bleeding sometimes with clots.
  • Discomfort in the pelvic region (feeling of heaviness or pressure).
  • Acute or severe pelvic pain.
  • Bladder-related problems such as frequent urination and unable to void completely.
  • Low back pain.
  • Rectal pressure and hemorrhoids.
  • Discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse.
  • Infertility is caused by the distortion of the uterine lining.
  • Constipation and bloating.

Uterine Fibroid Diagnosis

Just by examining the uterus during a typical pelvic exam, the doctor may be able to determine if uterine fibroids exist.

They might request additional tests if the uterus feels abnormally large or shaped differently, like:

  • Ultrasound
  • Biopsy
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • Hysterosonography: A technician enlarges the uterine cavity with saline during this test. This enables them to see the uterine lining and submucosal fibroids that are enlarging into the uterine cavity. In the case of patients preparing for conception or having heavy periods, this is helpful.
  • Hysterosalpingography: One might undergo hysterosalpingography if the doctor needs to determine whether the fallopian tubes are blocked. In order to better see the uterus and fallopian tubes on an X-ray, the doctor applies dye to highlight them.
  • Hysteroscopy: A small telescope with a light attached is inserted into the uterus by the doctor. They can next examine the walls of the uterus and the entrance of the fallopian tube after injecting saline and widening the uterine cavity.

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Uterine Fibroid Treatment

Treatment options for fibroids are numerous. age, the desire to become pregnant, if one is experiencing symptoms, and the location of the fibroids affect which treatment is most effective. Listed are the most common steps in the course of treatment:

  • Diligent waiting: The doctor might advise waiting if one only has minor symptoms or none at all. Fibroids can grow slowly or not at all, and they are not cancerous. After menopause, they could also get smaller or disappear.
  • Medications: Medications for fibroids treat the symptoms. Although fibroids won’t disappear, some treatments may cause them to decrease. Additionally, they can assist with signs like discomfort and bleeding.
  • Surgery: Surgery can be required if the signs and symptoms are moderate or severe. Options consist of:
  • Myomectomy
  • Endometrial ablation
  • Hysterectomy.
  • Uterine fibroid embolization, also known as UAE, is one of the most viable options for treating uterine fibroids.
  • During this operation, a doctor places gel or plastic particles into the adjacent blood vessels to prevent the flow of blood to your fibroids. This makes the fibroids shrink.

Procedure

  • The surgery is carried out by an interventional radiologist using fluoroscopy while under local anesthesia.
  • To reach the femoral artery, a tiny incision is made in the skin of the groin area.
  • The uterine artery is reached by guiding a small catheter through the femoral artery.
  • The location of the fibroid is then mapped on a fluoroscope monitor by injecting a contrast fluid that contains iodine.
  • Then, sand grain-sized, spherical polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles are injected into the artery that supplies the fibroid tumor with blood.
  • This results in the blockage of the artery and within a few minutes, the blood flow gets cut off, causing the tumor to shrink.
  • To make sure that the blood flow to the fibroids is stopped, more contrast fluid is injected. The same procedure is used to treat a second uterine fibroid.
  • It takes around one to two hours to complete the entire procedure.

Typically, the procedure lasts one to three hours. One can either go home the same day as the procedure or stay in the hospital overnight.

For a few hours to a few days, patients can experience some soreness. However, discomfort occasionally lasts for a few weeks.

Recovery

  • UFE lowers recovery time to no more than one week, allowing the patient to return to their regular activities including their jobs, much more quickly than most treatments, which have prolonged recovery times of up to six weeks.
  • An overnight stay is not necessary because most hospitals perform the UFE surgery on an outpatient basis. The patient can be taken to a local hospital if an overnight stay or more care is required, which is an extremely unlikely scenario.
  • An average healing time is four to five days. After that, a woman can resume her regular activities without experiencing uncomfortable uterine fibroids symptoms.
  • Even though uterine fibroid embolization is a painless procedure, pulling pains in the lower abdomen start to appear after 1-2 hours.
  • These feelings are caused by the ischemia of fibroid cells, and they show how well the treatment worked.
  • Painkillers can be used to end the agony, which only lasts for a few hours. In the initial days following UFE, the temperature may also rise.
  • Additionally possible are feelings of malaise and weakness.

The patient must adhere to certain guidelines at home during the first week following the procedure:

  • Follow a few days of bed rest.
  • In the case of any pain, one can take medicines the doctor has prescribed.
  • Observe the body’s temperature.
  • It is advised to drink more fluids after the procedure, especially in the first week.
  • In the first few days following the UFE, patients should avoid taking a hot bath or shower and staying in the sauna or pool.
  • Tampon use is not advised for a few weeks following the operation.
  • Avoid engaging in strenuous exercise for a few weeks.

Risks

  • Since uterine fibroids are essentially benign tumors, they are virtually usually cancer-free. The word “almost” is used because there are a few uncommon circumstances in which they might be malignant, particularly if they are expanding quickly after menopause.
  • Despite this, benign fibroids are fairly common and can develop singly or in groups.
  • Small fibroids might not need to be treated, but some can grow to a size of a watermelon or larger, measuring eight inches or more.

Therefore, there are no significant risks involved with uterine fibroid embolization, and it is a safe surgery. Rarely, complications might happen.

Regardless of the number and size of nodes, UFE can be carried out at any stage of the disease.

These potential issues are only a few:

  • Infection: As degenerating fibroids provide a place for bacteria to flourish, endometritis may result. Antibiotics are used in the treatment of it. A hysterectomy could be required in some difficult instances.
  • Organ damage: If the ovary is accidentally embolised, there is a chance that the blood supply to the organ gets disrupted. If the patient is perimenopausal (nearing menopause), this could result in menopause.
  • Future pregnancy-related problems: Although they are extremely unlikely, the patient could experience pregnancy complications. a congenital condition where the placenta attaches improperly to the uterus.
  • Undiagnosed cancer: Cancer may occasionally exist in the uterus but go undetected by any imaging or testing. (About 1 in 2,000 instances).

Success Rate

UFE operations have a 95–97% success rate.

  • The procedure is regarded as being quite effective.
  • 90% of patients have had either considerable symptom improvement or symptom eradication.
  • The remaining 10% of patients typically show either marginal improvement or remain stable (i.e., no worse). These patients generally have adenomyosis, which is more difficult to cure than fibroids (see Adenomyosis), or they have ovarian branches in addition to uterine branches that are feeding the fibroids.
  • After the initial UFE, the symptoms persist because these ovarian branches keep the tumor alive.
  • UFE treats all fibroids, making it a comprehensive therapy (like a hysterectomy). Only some of the fibroids are treated through myomectomy.

Less than 1% of women who have uterine fibroid embolization experience any issues, which is a much lower risk than those who undergo surgical therapy.

According to numerous studies, problems with UFE are almost 20 times less common than those following any other surgical therapy for uterine fibroids.

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Dr. Surbhi Suden

Verified By Dr. Surbhi Suden

Dr. Surbhi Suden is one of the founders of Lyfboat and a doctor with a renowned name in the Medical tourism industry. She has been working with international patients since 2008 and is a deeply committed professional with a long term vision of transforming the current healthcare scenarios.

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Dr. Surbhi Suden

Verified By Dr. Surbhi Suden

Dr. Surbhi Suden is one of the founders of Lyfboat and a doctor with a renowned name in the Medical tourism industry. She has been working with international patients since 2008 and is a deeply committed professional with a long term vision of transforming the current healthcare scenarios.
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