A new study found that a minimally invasive procedure may improve fertility for women who are unable to conceive due to uterine fibroids, The Washington Post reports. Fibroids can be destroyed by cutting their supply of blood from arteries — a procedure that is sometimes avoided because it can also limit blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, and risk infertility.
Uterine fibroids are abnormal tissue masses that line the wall of the uterus. This is usually treated with surgery to cut through to the uterus and remove the fibroids, but this may have complications that can lead to a hysterectomy. The alternative is a uterine fibroid embolization, the destruction of the fibroids by blocking the arteries that supply them with blood. Though less invasive, some doctors avoid this because it may restrict blood flowing to the uterus and ovaries.