Fibroid removal waiting times
How long the wait for fibroid removal really is, what it looks like at your own hospital, and the honest routes through it: the NHS, a targeted private step, or going fully private.
Updated July 2026 · NHS RTT data
See your GP without delay if you have any bleeding after the menopause, bleeding between periods or after sex, or bleeding that is much heavier or different from usual for you. Also see your GP if you have bloating, tummy or pelvic pain, or feeling full quickly, on most days for three weeks or more. These often have simple causes, but they are the symptoms the NHS checks promptly to be safe. Get urgent help (A&E or 999) for sudden severe pelvic or tummy pain, especially with feeling faint or being sick, or if you could be pregnant.
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Across England, half of Gynaecology patients are treated within 17 weeks; the average is 25, and 1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks.
Half are treated within 17 weeks
The average wait is 25 weeks
1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks
Pooled across 116 NHS trusts (15,853 patients). Source: NHS RTT, July 2026.
Seen a different number elsewhere? Why every website gives a different NHS wait →
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Your three routes
We don't tell you which to pick: we give you the honest shape of each and let you decide.
Join the queue and wait. Nationally that's a median of about 17 weeks, and longer at many hospitals. Check yours above.
Best if cost is the main concern and waiting weeks or months is manageable.
Pay to be diagnosed sooner, then have the operation on the NHS. If you are already referred, this does not change your place in the queue.
Best if you want to save significant time with a targeted spend, without paying for everything privately.
Pay for everything, including the myomectomy (fibroid removal) itself (typically £9,700–£10,900 for the surgical package), and skip the NHS wait entirely. The fastest route, and the most expensive.
Best if speed is critical and budget allows.
If a private consultation is what gets you referred, your NHS wait starts from that referral, not from when your symptoms began or when you first saw your GP. You lose nothing by going private first, because you had no NHS clock running to lose. But you do not gain a head start either. Ask your GP for an NHS referral at the same time, so the clock starts while you are being seen privately.
What it costs privately
A private myomectomy (fibroid removal) is typically £9,700 to £10,900: the all-in surgical package (surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, hospital stay, follow-up). A private consultation to get there, and a scan if needed, are a few hundred pounds on top. If you pay for just the diagnosis, the myomectomy (fibroid removal) itself stays free on the NHS. Only one provider publishes a price for this, so this range rests on fewer sources than our other figures.
Typical UK self-pay package prices, reviewed periodically.
How long is the private wait? Privately there is no formal waiting list. Allow about 4 to 8 weeks from your first consultation to treatment: against an NHS median of about 17 weeks in Gynaecology.
Related conditions
See every NHS trust's fibroid removal wait, ranked fastest first →
See the fibroid removal wait at every NHS hospital, ranked fastest first →
NHS fibroid removal waiting times at major hospitals
New Cross Hospital · Addenbrooke's Hospital · York Hospital · Torbay Hospital · Musgrove Park Hospital · Royal Berkshire Hospital · Hereford County Hospital · Derriford Hospital · Royal Cornwall Hospital · Manchester Royal Infirmary · Homerton University Hospital · John Radcliffe Hospital · Bristol Royal Infirmary · Russells Hall Hospital · Southampton General Hospital · Frimley Park Hospital
Browse all NHS waiting times →
See what a fibroid removal costs privately, and on the NHS →
See NHS ultrasound scan waits, hospital by hospital →
Common questions
About fibroid removal
What it is
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in or around the womb. They are very common and often cause no symptoms. When they do, they can cause heavy or painful periods, pelvic pain or pressure, and needing to wee more often. A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the womb. It may be recommended for fibroids, heavy periods, endometriosis, prolapse or some cancers.
How it is usually treated
Fibroids can be treated with medicines, including hormone treatments, or with procedures such as removing the fibroids while keeping the womb (myomectomy) or blocking their blood supply (uterine artery embolisation). A hysterectomy is usually considered when other treatments haven't worked. It can be done by keyhole surgery, through the vagina, or through a cut in the tummy.
After treatment
The hospital stay is typically one to five days. Recovery usually takes around six to eight weeks after tummy surgery and is often quicker after vaginal or keyhole surgery. Avoid heavy lifting during recovery, and expect some bleeding or discharge for a few weeks. After a hysterectomy you won't have periods or be able to get pregnant. If your ovaries are also removed before the menopause, menopause symptoms may start, so ask about HRT.
General information only, not medical advice. Your GP or specialist will advise on your own situation.
Written by the Wait or Pay team and sourced to the NHS. Last reviewed September 2026.
How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?
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