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Healing After Uterine Fibroid Embolization with Chinese Medicine

July 1, 2025/in Abnormal bleeding, Fibroids, Heavy periods, Perimenopause/by Cally Huttar, Acupuncturist Bellingham

Recovery and Renewal: How Chinese Medicine Supports Healing After Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE)

If you suffer from uterine fibroids, deciding on a treatment path can feel overwhelming. Fibroids can cause chronic pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, anemia, painful sex, and even challenges with fertility. While Chinese medicine offers herbal, dietary, and acupuncture-based strategies to help manage fibroids naturally, sometimes the best course of action includes Western medical intervention—like Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE).

UFE is a minimally invasive procedure that blocks the blood supply to fibroids, essentially starving them so they shrink and die. It offers a powerful alternative to hysterectomy, and for many, provides rapid and lasting relief from distressing symptoms. Yet, even a minimally invasive procedure requires thoughtful, holistic recovery—and this is where Chinese medicine shines. First, let’s look at why I recommend UFE.

UFE vs. Myomectomy: Why I Often Recommend UFE First

While both UFE and myomectomy can relieve fibroid-related symptoms, the choice of treatment matters—especially for those hoping to conceive and have a natural birth. Myomectomy, which involves surgically cutting fibroids from the uterine wall, may require deep incisions into the uterus. This increases the risk of uterine rupture during labor, which is why many people are advised to schedule a cesarean section if they’ve had a myomectomy.

This matters. Cesarean section is the second most common surgery in the United States, with about 1.3 million procedures performed annually. Hysterectomy ranks eighth, with around 500,000 surgeries each year. Consider this: women make up roughly half the population, yet these two surgeries—both involving the uterus—dominate surgical statistics.

These procedures are often life-saving and necessary. But too often, they are recommended before less invasive alternatives are explored.

UFE offers a better way. It preserves the uterus, avoids surgical incisions, and does not automatically disqualify a person from a future vaginal birth. For many of my patients, it represents not only physical relief but an empowered choice—one that honors both their reproductive potential and long-term pelvic health. Listen to this podcast on Uterine Kind with Dr. Lipman to learn more and empower yourself to make an informed and educated decision about your body. You deserve the best options available.

The Benefits of UFE: What to Expect Physically

Clinical research shows:

99% of patients experience immediate relief from heavy menstrual bleeding
Most notice reduced pain from cramping, bloating, and low back pain within weeks
Iron-deficiency anemia often resolves, as blood loss decreases
Sexual discomfort improves, with increased energy and libido maintained
Body image shifts positively as abdominal swelling from fibroids recedes
Fertility may remain intact, and some do go on to conceive post-UFE
94% of patients see a 50–60% fibroid reduction over 3–12 months

Clearly, UFE offers hope. But true healing goes beyond symptom relief—it asks us to reconnect with our bodies and reclaim our womb space. That’s where Chinese medicine can play a vital role.

How Chinese Medicine Supports Post-UFE Recovery

While UFE targets the fibroids directly, Chinese medicine works to support your whole system’s recovery. After the fibroids shrink and die, your body is left to clear stagnation, regulate blood, and rebuild strength. Chinese medicine can:

Support the Liver and Spleen in metabolizing necrosed fibroid tissue
Invigorate Blood and Qi to restore healthy menstrual flow
Calm the Shen (spirit) to ease the emotional toll of chronic illness and surgery
Rebuild Blood to help resolve lingering fatigue or anemia
Regulate hormonal balance through individualized herbal formulas

Herbal formulas may include modified versions of:

Gui Pi Tang (for Blood deficiency and fatigue)
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (for lingering Blood stasis)
Ba Zhen Tang (to deeply nourish Qi and Blood post-procedure)

Healing Emotionally: The Blood Remembers

From a depth psychological and somatic lens, it’s vital to acknowledge that fibroids don’t just grow in the body—they also carry emotional and symbolic weight. In Chinese medicine, the Blood holds memory. Many of my patients who’ve suffered from fibroids also carry trauma in the womb—grief, betrayal, unmet motherhood, or unprocessed sexual trauma.

During pregnancy, menses, perimenopause or post-fibroid treatment, dreams often become more vivid. This is not coincidental. Hormonal shifts open a portal to the unconscious. I’ve worked with many people who, during UFE recovery, found that their dreams helped them process long-buried memories or unresolved emotional wounds. Through embodied dreamwork, we gently re-enter these dreams, allow their messages to unfold somatically, and create space for emotional integration.

This combination—acupuncture, herbs, and dreamwork—provides a deeply holistic path forward.