Before comparing treatment paths, it may help to review the fibroid visit checklist builder, fibroid MRI report guide, or the full fibroid treatment article library.

Ask the OB-GYN or surgeon

Hysterectomy removes the uterus, so pregnancy is no longer possible8. Fibroids there cannot come back. Ask why it is being considered, what type of surgery is planned, what other options are reasonable to discuss, and how the ovaries, cervix, recovery, the tissue report, and follow-up will be handled.

Questions to ask

  • Why is hysterectomy being discussed instead of monitoring, medication, myomectomy, UFE/UAE, ablation, or another option?
  • Which surgical route is planned, and what tradeoffs should I understand?
  • What should I ask about ovaries, cervix, pathology, recovery, and long-term follow-up?

Why this matters: Hysterectomy is a major surgery with permanent effects. The rationale for it over less invasive alternatives depends on your specific symptoms, imaging, and goals. Understanding the planned route (abdominal, laparoscopic, vaginal, or robotic) changes what recovery, scar, and complication expectations look like. Asking about ovaries and cervix explicitly matters because hormone effects and future cervical screening needs differ depending on what is removed.

Ask the interventional radiologist

UFE/UAE is an image-guided embolization procedure that some patients discuss when comparing fibroid treatment options. It still requires clinician evaluation and is not right for everyone.

Questions to ask

  • What symptoms, imaging findings, fertility goals, medical history, or safety concerns would make UFE/UAE worth discussing or not worth discussing?
  • What imaging and labs are needed before an IR can have a meaningful conversation with me?
  • What should I understand about pain plan, recovery, follow-up imaging, symptom timeline, and possible later procedures?

Why this matters: UFE is not a fit for every person with fibroids. The radiology team usually needs recent pictures, kidney-lab results, allergy history, and sometimes a gynecology visit before they can say whether it is reasonable to discuss. Pain and recovery are common surprises afterward. Ask whether symptoms could come back, and what a later procedure would look like.

Compare hospital stay and return to work

Recovery expectations often shape this conversation as much as symptom relief does. This section sets out what the main trial reports for UFE and surgery so you can ask informed questions. It does not rank treatments or say which is right for you. For a closer look at what the first weeks after UFE can feel like, read the day-by-day timeline.

Questions to ask

  • Is UFE done as an outpatient procedure (same-day discharge) or with an overnight stay, and what decides which I would need?
  • If hysterectomy is being discussed, which surgical route is planned (laparoscopic, vaginal, robotic, or abdominal), and how does it affect how long I would stay?
  • When could I return to desk work, light activity, and full activity after UFE compared with the hysterectomy route being discussed?
  • If I have a physically demanding job or caregiving duties, how does that change the timeline for each option?
  • What lifting, driving, and exercise limits apply after each option?

Why this matters: In the REST trial, which randomly assigned 106 people to UFE and 51 to surgery (mostly hysterectomy), the median hospital stay was 1 day after embolization and 5 days after surgery, and return to work was faster after embolization9. Stays in trials also reflect each hospital's practice, so ask what to plan for where you are being treated. In the same trial, 9% of the UFE group needed repeat embolization or a hysterectomy in the first year9.

Ask about fertility and pregnancy explicitly

If future pregnancy matters, say so early. Hysterectomy ends the ability to carry a pregnancy, and UFE/UAE fertility and pregnancy questions should be discussed carefully with clinicians.

Questions to ask

  • How does each option affect future pregnancy or fertility planning?
  • Should a fertility specialist or maternal-fetal medicine clinician be part of the conversation?
  • What uncertainties should I understand before deciding?

Why this matters: Pregnancy plans are a common reason people look again at a plan that started with hysterectomy. Hysterectomy means you cannot carry a pregnancy afterward. Some people have become pregnant after UFE, but myomectomy is the option more often discussed when keeping the chance of pregnancy matters. Ask directly, and ask whether a fertility specialist should join the conversation, before making a decision.

Talk with your doctor. This page is educational preparation only. ProcedurePath does not collect your email, health details, or answers. Use the questions here in a visit with your own clinician.

Common questions

How does UFE compare with hysterectomy?

UFE keeps your uterus, and people went back to work after about 28 days with UFE vs about 63 days after hysterectomy1. ACOG's summary of a study says about 3 in 4 people have their symptoms improve2. But about 1 in 3 needed another procedure within 5 years of UFE, vs 4 in 100 after surgery (hysterectomy or myomectomy)3. In another trial, 35 in 100 people who had UFE went on to have a hysterectomy within 10 years4. If you may want to get pregnant, tell your doctor: the effects of UFE on fertility and pregnancy are uncertain, though pregnancy is possible2,5.

How much faster is UFE recovery than hysterectomy?

In the REST trial, the median hospital stay was 1 day after embolization and 5 days after surgery, and return to work was faster after embolization9. Stays in trials also reflect each hospital's practice, so ask what to plan for where you are being treated.

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Sources

  1. Hehenkamp et al., EMMY trial, Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2006, PMID 16447002 ↩︎
  2. ACOG, "Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE)" FAQ522, 2020, reviewed 2026 ↩︎
  3. Moss et al., REST trial, BJOG 2011, PMID 21481151 ↩︎
  4. de Bruijn et al., EMMY 10-year results, Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016, PMID 27393268 ↩︎
  5. RCOG/RCR, "Clinical recommendations on the use of uterine artery embolisation in the management of fibroids," 2013 ↩︎
  6. ACOG uterine fibroids FAQ
  7. RadiologyInfo UFE and MRgFUS
  8. ACOG, hysterectomy FAQ ↩︎
  9. Edwards et al., REST trial, N Engl J Med 2007, PMID 17251532 ↩︎