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Hi - saw a pamphlet at the doc yesterday about this treatment for people suffering heavy periods and was wondering if anyone has had it? It's only suitable for women who definitely don't want more pregnancies, and it's supposed to lighten and possibly even stop menstrual flow.
I guess I want to know if it works, and if there are any disadvantages to it. From what I have Googled it sounds quite good, but seems more popular in the US than here.
Cheers,
D.
Bumpity bump
It's something I've done some reading on, but no actual experience sorry. You need to put a bit of research in, because there are several different techniques used now, each with different pros and cons. I think it is used mostly in perimenopausal women as an alternative to doing hysterectomies which was the only solution in the bad old days.
It might also depend on the severity of your symptoms and what else is going on for you as to whether this is the best thing. If for example the bleeding is associated with early menopause, your dr might prefer a hormonal course of treatment which confers bone density advantages too.
Oh disadvantages from memory are- it's a surgical process so there are risks, costs, recovery time and pain to consider. Also, depending on the method used some women need to get it done more than once, effectiveness is not always permanent. And you still need to use contraceptives.
Thanks Marydean. Yes, there are about 6 different methods from what I've discovered. Surgical risks aside, I was wondering if there are any possible hormonal side-effects, but most sites say there are not. Contraception is not an issue as DH has had a vasectomy 2 yrs ago.
I have an appt scheduled with my gp next week to discuss other options first and to get any relevent tests to determine why I'm having these symptoms. I just like to go to my appts with as much knowledge as I can ;)
Totally understand! I have a high need for information, it helps with asking the right questions when you see the doctor. :). I would be very interested to hear what your dr has to say about it all, if you don't mind. Tbh I would probably be considering it too but since I'm only getting AF 3 or 4 times a year it's still manageable. if I was having to deal with it every 4 weeks I'd be into the drs in a flash.
I'm getting mine every 24 days now where I used to be a very regular 28, and they are getting to the point I don't want to go out for the first 2 days as it's so heavy. Totally over it!
What a pain! :hug: Good luck at the drs appt.
I am booked to have this Novasure procedure done next week and I can't wait to do something about these awful af if it doesn't work I am going to have a hysterectomy even if the doctor says I am too young. The big thing with it is you have to be sure that you no longer want any pregnancies
Can you let me know how you get on Racey? I had pap and blood tests done last week, getting results on thursday to make sure no medical issues. My gp has given me a presxription for transanemic (sp?) acid tablets to take for the heavy days of af to slow the flow down. She said they work in a large percentage of cases.
Def no more pregnancies for us as dh had a vasectomy after ds2 was born ;) so that's not an issue here.
Good luck, would love to hear how you get on. I hope it works for you and you don't have to get a hysterectomy. My gp said it can take up to a year for the full benefits to be known though.
Racey - how did you get on with your procedure? I'm at the point that I'm seriously considering it but do not know anyone who has had it done. Have you had an improvement with your AF? Was there any side-effects? Would love to hear all about it!
I would love to hear all about it, too. Dee, how are you finding the tranxemic acid? It disagrees with my tummy but I still use it when I'm desperate, because it does reduce the bleeding significantly, but I feel foul for a couple of days afterwards.
Marydean, the TA doesn't do much for me. It reduces it a little, but it's still very heavy with lots of clots. I don't seem to get any side effects from it. I had a laproscopy 3 months ago and my gynie found some adhesions which he removed. My following 2 cycles seemed lighter, but now this one is back to it's old horrid, heavy self :(
Would be great to hear from someone who has undergone the ablation...
Well, I'm booked in to have ablation done on August 16. Will post update on here afterwards in case anyone else is looking for info on it down the track. I have found a gynie who has done over 1000 of these procedures, and she said in about 12 of them she had to do it a 2nd time as they were not satisfied, and only twice has had a patient with no significant improvement. Sounds like good odds to me!
Fantastic, Dee, that sounds very promising. Good luck with it all, I hope it's quick and fairly painfree, and that you get excellent results. Will be keen to hear how it all goes.
Hi Ladies, After a long history (about 18years) of endometriosis, numerous laparoscopies, various medications and a Mirena I had a Novasure ablation done half way through 2011. After about 6-8 weeks i had finished healing (as in no more dishcharge from the uterus walls healing), i had no periods for about 6 months after that and it was great! They did however start to slowly come back around every 28 days, but enough initially to use a panty liner for the day as it was more just a stained mucus. As the months went by the periods began to get a bit heavier and I started to notice more period like food cravings and mood swings. Just last week I had another light period that lasted a few days which really is no biggy and I can handle that compared to what my periods were like pre ablation, but I have noticed the increase over the last few months of back pain, stomach pain and just not feeling right within myself. I am only assuming that the endo is back (to be honest i can't remember the last time it was removed) and is the reason for the pain and bleeding. I am booked in to see my Gyno but not until October.
On a positive note I do know of others that have had alot more success - who have not had a history of endo.
I hope those of you who have had the procedure have recovered well and it has had the desired outcome.
Hi Kas - I hope you get some relief again in October. My Gyno said some people do need 2 treatments to get long-lasting results, but only a very small percentage are still unsatisfied after 2 treatments. Which method did you have? Mine used the thermal balloon method as she thinks it has the highest success rate in the long term.
My recovery has been great, some pain for a few days, and a small amount of discharge each day for the 1st week. No discharge 2nd week, but a tiny bit of pinkish discharge today, but AF is due around now, so that could even be it! She said I wouldn't know for 6-7 months how successful it was as AF can come back. Fingers crossed though.
I hope it provides you with what you want. Thanks for posting about it to share your experience.
I have been reading up a bit on it and personally I would never have it. Unless you have a surgeon who is extremely skilled at doing it, there are significant risks from the procedure that I'm not prepared to take.
Can I ask, if ablation is only used when there will be no further pregnancies, and given that it may not solve the issues and is reasonably major to perform, wouldn't hysterectomy be just as an effective option? Given that I also read that 10% of women having had ablation go on to have a hysterectomy as well.
Ausgirl - ablation is a MUCH less invasive procedure than hysterectomy. There is no cutting involved and you can be back at work within 2 days. There is also none of the other after-effects that you get with hysterectomy such as the hormonal issues. I would not consider having a hysterectomy just to get rid of AF, but this procedure was quick, easy and relitavely painless.
Ausgirl, the uterus performs far more functions for the female body than just as a bag to carry a baby. Having a hysterectomy is never a good idea and most are performed unnecessarily. Watch this video and see if you still think that hysterectomy is an alternative. http://www.hersfoundation.org/anatomy/index.html
That's a very interesting clip Trillian. There are alot of things in there that I've never heard before for sure.
My mother had one and it certainly was deemed necessary at the time, though this was 25 years ago now, so who knows? She lost one of her ovaries at the time due to a rough surgeon (mum said he was grumpy in the theatre prior to the op).
However a friend with uterine cancer had one which was necessary, if she wanted to save her life. And another friend just this week had one which she deemed necessary for her mental (let alone physical) health. So while yes, it certainly has been the 'easy out' for many gynaes in the past (and probably present) I disagree that it's never an option.
I agree though that women should have far more information before choosing it as a solution to their issues.
Well of course it's different if it comes down to a life or death or even severe mental health issue, but for about 90% of women, it's just not necessary as a means of treating run-of-the-mill gynae problems. The long term physical effects after having one are far too big a risk to make it worth it.
Ablation is a far less invasive procedure than hysterectomy which is MAJOR surgery. Ausgirl, can you explain the connection between your friend's mental health and her uterus? I fully understand the burden of living with excessive periods (btdt) but it's a pretty big leap from there to hysterectomy, especially when there are a number of options in the middle ground that can work just as effectively?
Not having a go, just trying to understand.
My AFs were at the point that I didn't want to leave the house for the 1st 2 days each cycle as my flow was so heavy (I'd soak thru a maternity pad in the time it took me to drop DS at school!) followed by 2-3 days of lots of clots which left me very tired. For me the few risks of an ablation were definitely worth it if there is a chance my AFs will slow down or even stop, but I wouldn't go on and have the hysterectomy just for this reason. It's sometimes easy to say "that's too risky and I'd never do it", but sometimes it is worth the risk if there is a chance you can function normally again ;)
Yep I agree with you Dee, you need to weigh the risks up against the potential benefits. I've had periods that heavy too, but luckily only for a few months, I just don't think I could cope if it was happening longer term. But if I was going down that path I would have a detailed discussion with the gynae about which method and why, how many they had done, what problems had other women had. There is an enormous difference between what a good surgeon can do compared to an ordinary one.
And yes I agree it's really important for women to ask a whole lot of questions when it comes to our reproductive health, western medicine does not have a good track record for respecting the sophistication of our body parts.
Well I can't really answer for her as it's her head space not mine. But things she has explained - never knowing whether you're going to make it through a day without flooding everywhere (especially while at work), not being able to travel on mission trips in less than sanitary countries, due to not being able to safely manage or know when to expect af, being totally exhausted and run down from constant bleeding, having no sex life and therefore stress on marriage due to constant bleeding, and not to mention pain.
Oh and she also had a very bad prolapse.
I don't know whether she chose this over other options or if other options were actually on the table, kind of not my place to ask those things.