For almost a decade, doctors told me I needed a hysterectomy for fibroids, a condition affecting millions of women… then I discovered a treatment none of them had mentioned

For almost a decade, Josette Santiago went from doctor to doctor, desperately searching for a solution to a common women’s health problem that was making her life a misery.

The New Jersey physical therapist suffered heavy periods and debilitating bloating caused by a uterine fibroid – a benign growth that eventually became the size of a melon.

Yet everywhere she turned, she was offered the same drastic treatment: a hysterectomy, a major operation to remove her uterus.

Josette was reluctant to undergo such major surgery, but when she refused, one doctor even told her there was nothing more they could do.

It was only after researching the condition herself that she discovered a far less invasive treatment that none of her doctors had suggested.

And her experience raises a troubling question about the treatment of millions of American women with fibroids: why are so many offered major surgery without being told about the alternatives?

A 2024 survey found that 53 percent of women with fibroids had been offered a hysterectomy, compared with just 17 percent offered a procedure that can shrink the growths without removing the uterus.

Hysterectomy can be the most appropriate treatment for women with severe fibroids, particularly when other approaches have failed. It is also the only way to guarantee the growths will never return.

But the operation is irreversible, ends a woman’s ability to become pregnant and carries risks including bleeding, infection and damage to nearby organs. Recovery can also take several weeks.

And while less invasive alternatives are not suitable for everyone, Josette’s experience suggests that some women may not even be told they exist.

She was first diagnosed with a fibroid in 2016, when she was 42. At the time, the growth measured just 4cm, roughly the size of a walnut.

Despite its relatively small size, it caused days of heavy menstrual bleeding and large blood clots every month, making it increasingly difficult for her to continue swimming and long-distance running.

Doctors told her there was little they could do and that the fibroid would eventually shrink when she went through menopause.

But three years later, her symptoms had not improved.

In 2019, she underwent an ablation, a procedure that uses heat to destroy tissue, in an attempt to control the bleeding.

When she began seeing new doctors in 2020, however, she repeatedly encountered the same recommendation: a hysterectomy.

By then, her bleeding had largely subsided, but doctors warned that the fibroid could continue growing and eventually press against nearby organs.

Josette remained reluctant to undergo major surgery. When she refused, she says one doctor effectively ‘fired’ her, telling her there was nothing more they could offer.

‘I just said, “Forget it. I’ll listen to my own body,”‘ Josette, now 52, told the Daily Mail.

But by 2025, the fibroid was becoming impossible to ignore.

Josette noticed that she was feeling full after eating only small amounts of food, while her stomach had become so swollen that women at her gym repeatedly asked whether she was pregnant.

Bending down also became increasingly difficult – a particular problem in her work as a physical therapist.

By October that year, the fibroid had grown to 16cm, roughly the size of a honeydew melon.

Her primary care doctor continued to recommend a hysterectomy, and Josette says she even received mail advertising the operation.

Still determined to avoid major surgery, she began researching other treatments herself.

That was when she discovered uterine fibroid embolization, a procedure that cuts off the blood supply to fibroids, causing them to shrink over time.

Unlike a hysterectomy, it does not involve removing the uterus. Instead, a specialist inserts a thin tube through a tiny puncture in an artery in the wrist or groin, then uses it to deliver microscopic particles that block blood flow to the growth.

The procedure typically takes around an hour, and many patients can return home the same day.

For Josette, it seemed to offer exactly what she had spent years looking for. But she was astonished that none of her doctors had mentioned it.

She initially found a clinic in Dallas that offered the procedure, only to discover that her New Jersey health insurance would not cover treatment there.

Instead, the physician referred her to Dr Tate Kirk, an interventional radiologist in Westchester County, just outside New York City.

Despite years of consultations, Josette had been unaware that a specialist offering the procedure was available so close to home.

‘I would not have gone to all this trouble if it was offered to me in 2016, 2017 or even 2018. I would have gone for it. Nobody really told me about it,’ she said.

One possible reason women may not hear about embolization is that it is performed by a different type of specialist from the doctors who usually diagnose and treat fibroids.

While hysterectomies are carried out by gynecologists, embolization is generally performed by interventional radiologists – doctors who use scans to guide minimally invasive procedures.

This means patients may need to be referred to another specialist to explore the option.

But embolization is not necessarily the right treatment for every woman with fibroids.

The growths vary enormously in size and location, and treatment depends on the symptoms they cause, a woman’s medical history and whether she hopes to have children.

For some, medication can control heavy bleeding, while others may benefit from a myomectomy, an operation that removes the fibroids while leaving the uterus intact.

Embolization can be highly effective at relieving symptoms, but it does not always work, and some women eventually need further treatment.

It can also affect ovarian function and fertility, making it a less suitable option for some women who hope to become pregnant.

A hysterectomy, meanwhile, may be the best choice for women with severe or recurring symptoms who want a permanent solution.

Nevertheless, Kirk believes embolization deserves to be discussed far more widely.

He explained that the procedure works not only by shrinking fibroids, but also by changing the consistency of their tissue.

‘It doesn’t go away completely, but it doesn’t really behave like a fibroid anymore,’ he told the Daily Mail.

Large fibroids can be hard and dense, pressing against the bladder and other surrounding structures. But after embolization, Kirk says, they become softer and less likely to exert the same pressure.

‘It becomes almost like a sponge. The fibroid actually gets compressed rather than compressing other things around it,’ he said.

He estimates that a fibroid like Josette’s could shrink by around 50 percent over six months, although results vary between patients.

Josette underwent the procedure in April 2026, after blood tests and an MRI scan to assess her fibroid.

Kirk inserted a thin tube through an artery at the top of her thigh and guided it towards the blood vessels supplying the uterus, where tiny particles were injected to block blood flow to the growth.

She was given ‘twilight’ sedation, leaving her in a hazy, dream-like state in which she could still respond to questions.

The treatment took about an hour, after which she spent two hours in a recovery room before being discharged with prescription pain medication, which she says she never needed.

Within two days, she was able to go for a walk. Although she experienced a fever and fatigue for about a week, she reported no other complications.

‘Honestly, it was a really easy procedure,’ Josette said. ‘The following week it was like nothing had happened.’

Not everyone recovers quite so easily, however.

Embolization can cause significant pain and cramping in the days following treatment, as well as nausea, fever and fatigue. Less commonly, complications can include infection, damage to ovarian function or the need for further surgery.

Fibroids themselves are extraordinarily common, with estimates suggesting that up to 80 percent of women develop them by the age of 50, although many never experience symptoms or require treatment.

Their growth is influenced by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and they often shrink naturally after menopause.

For Josette, the benefits of embolization have been significant.

Since undergoing the procedure, her intense bloating has subsided and she has experienced no further heavy bleeding.

She has returned to running, swimming and cycling, and no longer struggles with the physical demands of her job.

She is awaiting an MRI scan in December to establish how much the fibroid has shrunk.

And after years of feeling self-conscious about her swollen stomach and fielding questions about whether she was pregnant, she says she finally feels comfortable in her own body again.

‘I’m a little more confident now wearing my bathing suit and everything,’ she said.

Josette hopes that sharing her experience will encourage other women with fibroids to ask about all the treatments available before agreeing to major surgery.

‘I’m happy to tell everybody about this procedure,’ she said. ‘If only it was out there in the open more, and doctors operated in more than the harder way.’

Her advice to other women is simple.

‘Don’t stick with one doctor when they say something,’ she said. ‘You can always get a second, third, fourth opinion about it.’