American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) position on UFE
ACOG describes itself as " the nation's leading group of professionals providing health care for women" ; your gynecologist most likely belongs to ACOG, just as most interventional radiologists belong to the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR).
In the August 2008 Practice Bulletin of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the ACOG changed its position on UFE from a prior lukewarm recommendation to recommending UFE as an alternative for women with bothersome fibroids who wish to avoid hysterectomy.
"The following recommendations and conclusions are based on good and consistent scientific evidence (Level A) Based on long- and short-term outcomes, uterine artery embolization is a safe and effective option for appropriately selected women who wish to retain their uteri."
The ACOG was appropriately conservative and skeptical prior to 2008, but there is no refuting solid data. Back then I applauded the Congress for revising their position.
I do wonder what they were thinking when they wrote "women who wish to retain their uteri". Are there really that many women who do not wish to retain their uteri? Wouldn't you rather keep your body whole?
In 2021 ACOG updated their statement to "Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is recommended as an interventional procedure for the treatment of uterine leiomyomas in patients who desire uterine preservation and are counseled about the limited available data on reproductive outcomes"
Obstetrics & Gynecology 137(6):p e100-e115, June 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004401
As I update this in 2023, I am deeply disappointed in my gynecological colleagues who still fail to tell their patients about UAE (UAE is the same as UFE) as an alternative to hysterectomy should they not want to have their uterus removed. In and around San Antonio, with over 400 gynecologists practicing in the area, I estimate less than 10% of them will mention UFE to their patients seeking their help and guidance.
That leaves around 90% who scoff at the medical evidence and the guidance of their own national society and offer only a major surgery that they will get paid to perform as the only solution to their distraught but trusting patients.
In the August 2008 Practice Bulletin of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the ACOG changed its position on UFE from a prior lukewarm recommendation to recommending UFE as an alternative for women with bothersome fibroids who wish to avoid hysterectomy.
"The following recommendations and conclusions are based on good and consistent scientific evidence (Level A) Based on long- and short-term outcomes, uterine artery embolization is a safe and effective option for appropriately selected women who wish to retain their uteri."
The ACOG was appropriately conservative and skeptical prior to 2008, but there is no refuting solid data. Back then I applauded the Congress for revising their position.
I do wonder what they were thinking when they wrote "women who wish to retain their uteri". Are there really that many women who do not wish to retain their uteri? Wouldn't you rather keep your body whole?
In 2021 ACOG updated their statement to "Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is recommended as an interventional procedure for the treatment of uterine leiomyomas in patients who desire uterine preservation and are counseled about the limited available data on reproductive outcomes"
Obstetrics & Gynecology 137(6):p e100-e115, June 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004401
As I update this in 2023, I am deeply disappointed in my gynecological colleagues who still fail to tell their patients about UAE (UAE is the same as UFE) as an alternative to hysterectomy should they not want to have their uterus removed. In and around San Antonio, with over 400 gynecologists practicing in the area, I estimate less than 10% of them will mention UFE to their patients seeking their help and guidance.
That leaves around 90% who scoff at the medical evidence and the guidance of their own national society and offer only a major surgery that they will get paid to perform as the only solution to their distraught but trusting patients.
