Fibroid surgery costs range from roughly $2,700 to $50,000, depending on the type of procedure, where you have it done, and whether you’re paying with insurance or out of pocket. That’s an enormous range, and the reason is simple: “fibroid surgery” isn’t one procedure. It’s at least five or six different ones, each with different price tags, recovery times, and tradeoffs.
Cost by Procedure Type
The biggest factor in your total bill is which procedure you and your doctor choose. Here’s how the major options compare in terms of hospital costs:
- Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE): Around $2,700 in average total hospital costs. This is a minimally invasive option where a radiologist blocks blood flow to the fibroids, causing them to shrink. It’s consistently the least expensive approach.
- Myomectomy (fibroid removal, uterus preserved): Around $5,700 in average hospital costs for a standard approach. Robotic-assisted myomectomy adds roughly $3,500 or more on top of comparable open surgery.
- Radiofrequency ablation (the Acessa procedure): Around $7,600 in procedure and hospitalization costs, based on comparative data. This uses heat delivered through a needle to destroy fibroid tissue while preserving the uterus.
- Hysterectomy (uterus removal): The most expensive category overall, ranging from about $32,000 for a vaginal approach to nearly $50,000 for robotic-assisted surgery. A traditional abdominal hysterectomy averages around $43,600, and laparoscopic hysterectomy falls near $38,300.
These figures represent total patient costs including the hospital stay, not just the surgeon’s fee. Your actual bill will vary based on your location, your hospital, and how long you stay.
What Insurance Typically Covers
Most insurance plans cover fibroid surgery when it meets medical necessity criteria. In practice, this means your symptoms need to be significant enough that medication or watchful waiting hasn’t worked. UnitedHealthcare’s policy, which is representative of major insurers, covers hysterectomy when “symptoms cannot be controlled by conservative treatment,” and covers uterine artery embolization as a proven treatment for symptomatic fibroids.
The catch is that not all procedures get equal coverage. Newer options like radiofrequency ablation (Acessa) are not covered by every insurance company. If you’re considering one of these alternatives, call your insurer before scheduling anything. Even for covered procedures, you’ll still owe your deductible, copays, and any coinsurance. On a $40,000 hysterectomy with a typical employer plan, your out-of-pocket share could easily run $3,000 to $8,000 depending on your plan’s structure and whether you’ve met your deductible.
If you’re uninsured or paying cash, many hospitals offer self-pay discounts of 30% to 50% off the billed charges. It’s worth asking, because hospital “list prices” are notoriously inflated compared to what insurers actually pay.
Costs You Might Not Expect
The surgeon’s quote rarely captures the full picture. Several additional charges show up on the final bill that patients don’t always anticipate.
Diagnostic imaging is one. Before any surgical plan is finalized, you’ll need at least a pelvic ultrasound, and possibly an MRI. Commercial insurance pays an average of about $1,000 per MRI, though the actual hospital cost to perform one is closer to $255. If you’re paying out of pocket or haven’t met your deductible, expect to pay somewhere in that range for imaging alone.
Anesthesia is billed separately from the surgical fee and the facility fee. It’s charged based on time, so a longer procedure means a higher anesthesia bill. Facility fees, which cover the operating room, nursing staff, and equipment, are also separate. Together, these line items can add thousands to your total. When comparing quotes, make sure you’re getting an “all-in” estimate that includes the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and facility.
The Hidden Cost: Time Off Work
The price tag on the hospital bill is only part of what fibroid surgery costs you. Recovery time varies dramatically by procedure, and lost wages add up quickly.
An abdominal myomectomy or abdominal hysterectomy requires four to eight weeks away from work, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. That’s one to two full months of income, which for many people exceeds the surgery bill itself. A laparoscopic or robotic-assisted myomectomy cuts that to about three weeks. A hysteroscopic myomectomy, where fibroids are removed through the cervix with no external incisions, allows most people to return to work within one to two days.
UFE recovery typically falls somewhere in the middle, with most patients back to normal activities within one to two weeks. If minimizing time away from work is a financial priority, this is worth factoring into your decision alongside the direct medical costs.
Why Hysterectomy Costs Vary So Much
Hysterectomy deserves a closer look because it’s the most common surgical treatment for fibroids, and the cost swing between approaches is dramatic. In a study at a single academic medical center, the cheapest option (vaginal hysterectomy at roughly $32,000) cost $17,600 less than the most expensive (robotic hysterectomy at nearly $49,500). That’s a 55% difference for procedures that accomplish the same thing.
Vaginal hysterectomy tends to cost less because it requires less operating room time, no robotic equipment fees, and shorter hospital stays. But not every patient is a candidate for it, particularly if fibroids are very large. Your surgeon’s recommendation will depend on fibroid size, location, and number, as well as whether you’ve had previous abdominal surgeries. If you’re offered a choice between approaches, asking about the cost difference is reasonable. The clinical outcomes for vaginal and laparoscopic hysterectomy are comparable in many cases, but the bills are not.
Comparing Your Options
The least expensive procedure isn’t automatically the best one for you. UFE costs the least upfront and has the fastest recovery, but it doesn’t remove fibroids, and some women need a second procedure later. Myomectomy preserves the uterus and is the standard choice if you want to have children, but it costs more and fibroids can regrow. Hysterectomy is the only permanent solution, but it’s the most expensive, has the longest recovery, and ends the possibility of pregnancy.
When you’re comparing costs, add up the full picture: the procedure itself, imaging and pre-surgical testing, anesthesia and facility fees, your insurance cost-sharing, and the wages you’ll lose during recovery. A $2,700 UFE with a week off work looks very different financially from a $44,000 abdominal hysterectomy with six weeks of lost income. Ask your surgeon’s billing office for a complete estimate, and call your insurance company to find out exactly what your share will be before you commit.