<p>I had awful flooding periods, but after a couple of courses of progesterone (which did work temporarily) my gyn recommended a D&C. Since then (two years ago) I’ve had a few periods: one normal, and the rest only light spotting. My last one was nearly a year ago, so I’m hoping this is it.</p>
<p>I would have the D&C and wait to see if that helps enough to avoid having an ablation. Mine was done with a local (and a Valium) in the doc’s office, so no general anesthesia to deal with, which I was very happy about. He used a camera to see what was going on and I got to watch. I know that’s not for everyone, but I’m fascinated by medical stuff!</p>
<p>Runnersmom – my only regret with Novasure is that I didn’t get it when the OBG first recommended it. </p>
<p>I would directly ask the doc how many Novasure procedures he/she has done. If not too many by this point, you might want to look around for a GYN who’s done a lot more.</p>
<p>I’m a wuss, and was very happy to have a general for the procedure.</p>
<p>I had the laser ablation and it was life changing, I only wish I had it done years earlier. I had no issues or side effects. I would have been back to work the next day but I was still groggy from the anesthesia.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses. I have emailed my doctor to ask her which procedure she uses - I wasn’t informed enough to ask when she recommended it. Where did you all have the procedure (or procedures - she wants to begin with a d & c to do a tissue biopsy) done. Was the general like for a colonoscopy or more? She does her procedures at an ambulatory surgery center, not in a hospital.</p>
<p>This thread resurrection is quite timely as I have an unexpected visit to the OB/GYN later this week; the ablation may be an option.</p>
<p>At the risk of making this thread even more TMI than before: for those of you who experienced perimenopause/menopause, did the content of your periods change too? I’ve been having heavier periods with clots 26 days apart for a while; now I’ve got this lingering one that is more like the tail end of a period…and none of the sites that talk about perimenopause really say anything more than “you know it’s over when you haven’t gotten it for a year.” Well, that’s not really helpful ;)</p>
<p>I guess maybe we should consolidate our “female” threads into one big one. I had started one a bit ago on my quandary over whether or not to have a hysterectomy for endometriosis. I’m 52 and feeling better on low dose birth control so decided to put it on hold. </p>
<p>RobD - my problem - exactly. My trip to the gyn was precipitated by almost 2 weeks of very heavy flow, with massive clots. And this was after increasingly difficult periods regularly for the past 6 months. She did an immediate blood test and found me to be anemic as well. To put it in perspective, I had to change protection every hour to 90 minutes, round the clock. Not pretty. I should’ve bought stock. I’m leaning toward the ablation.</p>
<p>RobD - That is exactly what happened to me. Felt like I needed to stay at home - and made sure there was a towel between me and the couch, etc. It was awful.</p>
<p>I also had a few very heavy periods in the months prior to menopause, followed by lighter ones that lasted a bit longer than usual. Then suddenly my periods just plain stopped. It has been 4 years, with no problems to speak of. Hang in there …</p>
<p>My friend at work had an ablation done last Spring with no problems. Don’t know what type she had but she is so happy to not have to deal with the constant heavy bleeding.</p>
<p>My BFF as well as my next door neighbor have had the ablation & rave about it, but their periods were always out of control. I talked to my gyn about it briefly during my last regular visit and she made it seem like if I gave the word, she’d give the go ahead. But I’m a little laid back about these kinds of things and figured that Mother Nature was just doing her thing & that I’d just have chill out about it. But now I’m ready to punch Mother Nature in her face </p>
<p>On a positive note, I’m up past 10pm for the first time in about a week!</p>
<p>I had a similar situation to RobD and runnersmom about 3 years ago; though I didn’t have a bad history, for about 6 mos prior to the procedure it was so bad that I had become quite anemic. I had D&C and ablation and as someone else said, my only regret was that I didn’t do it sooner! It’s been 2 and 1/2 years and no periods and no negative effects at all. I had the procedure done in a hospital (outpatient) with the same kind of anesthesia that they use for a colonoscopy (not sure exactly what that is, but even though you are totally unaware and “asleep”, it is not general.) I had polled several friends who had ablation done before I did it and all said it was the best thing they’d ever done. Go for it. Good luck!</p>
<p>Around age 50, my periods became erratic in both timing and flow. With each period came a great deal of cramping/pain as well (never got cramps until then).<br>
Ultrasound revealed some polyps, so doctor recommended ablation procedure which worked for me for about 4 months.<br>
After that, period returned with a vengenance… TMI here, but I could feel the gush everytime I stood up, rolled over, etc. I was wearing 2 - 3 pads at a time to make sure I would be safe. My daughter (darling) used to tell me to just wear diapers!!! (her day will come).<br>
Doctor then gave me possible choices of: hormone therapy, partial hysterectomy, or just toughing it out. Because he also told me I WAS NOT near menopause yet (according to testing he had done), and might have to endure this for another 2 - 3 years, I opted for the hysterectomy(vaginal).
The surgery was unremarkable, but the results are wonderful!
Not having a purse full of very large, very bulky pads, and never worrying about when/where “my friend” was coming, well you just can’t put a price on it…</p>
<p>Chiming in to add my experience. Stopped periods for 4 months, flew on a plane in January and got my period. Nothing in Feb, flew in March and got my period. Nothing more from April onwards even though I flew in August. Flew in October, got my period. Does not make sense to me and on top of it have had hot flashes coming and going over 3 years…sometimes every 20 minutes and sometimes never for a few months…And prior to this intermittent menopause I did have a few very heavy periods when I had to use pad and tampon before going out.</p>
<p>Thought I had posted this here before but now I can’t find it. Anyway, I wanted to have an ablation about 9 years ago, after years of heavy periods that were anywhere from 21 - 26 days apart. I knew I had fibroids (my ob had seen them and nipped a few when I had my c-sections) but the ablation specialist sent me for an MRI before doing the ablation. As he suspected, the MRI showed I had something called adenomyosis - aka endometriosis of the uterus. It’s when the uterine lining somehow works its way into the actual muscle wall of the uterus. It’s more common in women who have had c-sections, they think the tissue may get into the uterine wall during the incision and stitching up. Anyway, this endometrial material in the uterine muscle reacts to the same hormonal signals that the lining of the uterus does, but it can’t get sloughed off during your period. Also it swells and hemmorhages in the middle of the muscle tissue, which prevents the uterine muscle from clamping down on the blood vessels and stopping the bleeding. As a result you get long, heavy and extremely painful periods. The doctor said ablation wouldn’t help, as it wouldn’t reach this tissue. </p>
<p>I read books with titles like “Keep your Uterus - Alternatives to Hysterectomy,” and even they said that there were only 2 choices for adenomyosis: hormones (lupron or BC pills) or removing the uterus. (3rd choice - put up with the pain). I had reached 40 and with a history of mild high blood pressure my gyn refused to allow me to take BC pills any longer. So I had the hysterectomy.</p>
<p>It was without a doubt the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. I felt guilty because due to my previous c-sections and suspected scar tissue, I had an abdominal incision, spent 3 days in the hospital and had a fairly lengthy recovery at home. Mom had to come stay with us to help me with driving, the kids, etc. But it improved my quality of life - and my families lives - so much that I would make the same decision again without a second’s hesitation. Even though they left my ovaries in place, my PMS symptoms dropped dramatically, and now that I wasn’t hemmorhaging every 3 weeks my energy level rose. </p>
<p>So if your doctor tells you that ablation isn’t an option for you, I say don’t let the word “hysterectomy” scare you. You don’t have to remove your ovaries and go into instant menopause.</p>
<p><strong><em>Has anyone had the ThermaChoice ablation procedure? It’s the balloon with heated saline method.
runnersmom That is the procedure I had. I don’t recall exactly, but it was about 5 years ago, which would have made me 44. It was done under a general anethsesia at a outpatient surgery center. I never have as much as spotted since. Delighted with the results. All PMS (cramping, bloating, *</em></strong>*iness and monthly chocolate freak out )disappeared as well, though I cannot explain why.</p>
<p>Thanks. The Provera worked as long as it was prescribed for (5 days), but things are worse now than when this all started. I’m scheduled for Thursday and can’t wait at this point.</p>
<p>Update - had the procedures yesterday and it was a piece of cake. Arrived at the Ambulatory Surgery Center at 1:30 and left at 4pm. Cramps as promised followed the procedure, but this morning it’s nothing that advil can’t help. I’m tired, but I’m not bleeding, and that is a blessing. Thanks to all for your stories and support. It makes a huge difference to know that there is a place one can come to for advice from people you have learned to trust and respect on so many other issues. Again, many thanks.</p>
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