{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T11:16:10Z","timestamp":1786706170312,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760313600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"\u201cIuliu Hatieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Uterine fibroids affect 70\u201380% of women by age 50, often impairing fertility through mechanical distortion and altered endometrial receptivity. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a minimally invasive alternative to surgery, though its impact on future fertility remains debated. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate pregnancy rates, time to conception, and fertility-related complications following UAE in women with symptomatic fibroids. Methods: A systematic search was performed across PubMed\/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and other databases (January 2005\u2013March 2025) following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies reporting fertility outcomes \u2265 6 months after UAE were included. Primary outcomes were pregnancy rates and time to conception. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4. Study quality was assessed with the Newcastle\u2013Ottawa Scale (observational studies) and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Results: Thirty-three studies (4287 women) were included; 85.2% had follow-up. The pregnancy rate was 52.1% (95% CI: 46.8\u201357.4%), with a mean time to conception of 14.7 months. Pregnancy rates were highest in women &lt; 30 years (67.8%) and lowest in those &gt; 40 years (31.5%). Unilateral UAE had superior outcomes to bilateral (61.2% vs. 49.8%). Conclusions: UAE can preserve fertility in ~50% of selected patients, with better outcomes in younger women. Early intervention is advised for fertility preservation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14207205","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T11:57:42Z","timestamp":1760529462000},"page":"7205","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Impact of Uterine Artery Embolization on Subsequent Fertility Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of 20 Years of Clinical Evidence"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3422-6847","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen Elena","family":"Bucuri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Surgery, Military Clinical Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca, 400132 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Mihu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8745-9348","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrei Mihai","family":"M\u0103lu\u021ban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aron Valentin","family":"Oprea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Surgery, Military Clinical Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca, 400132 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4128-7477","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Patricia","family":"Roman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0726-8993","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina Mihaela","family":"Ormindean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0187-3682","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ionel Daniel","family":"Nati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Viorela Elena","family":"Suciu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alex Emil","family":"H\u0103prean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adrian","family":"Pavel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Surgery, Military Clinical Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca, 400132 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mihai","family":"Toma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Department of Surgery, Military Clinical Emergency Hospital Cluj-Napoca, 400132 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R\u0103zvan","family":"Ciortea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"2nd Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Section, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"378","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0028-1102997","article-title":"Uterine Artery Embolization in the Management of 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