Women's Health

Treating Fibroids Without Surgery

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The researchers also compared the average cost of UFE with that of myomectomy, and found the nonsurgical procedure to be slightly cheaper -- $6,861 per procedure vs. $7,486. Although embolization patients have more extensive imaging exams, their hospitalization costs tend to be lower because recovery time is quicker.

Spies, who is vice chairman of radiology at Georgetown University Medical Center, tells WebMD that there is no one best treatment option for all women with uterine fibroids. Although some women are better candidates for one procedure than another, the decision is ultimately that of the patient, he says.

"I would never tell a patient that they had to have a hysterectomy," he says. "Women who face this decision are generally in their 30s and 40s, and there is not a more educated, capable group of people out there. Our job is to present them with all of the options."