Have fibroids been ruled out? Uterine fibroid embolization may be an option if you have fibroids.
Just had D and C and ablation/biopsy today. Hardly any bleeding even though I went in with my period. Praying the hellish 18-20 day cycles and heavy bleeding are over. Doc said 50% see a complete stop to bleeding… Sounds almost too good to be true!!
Hope you are feeling well, @shellz.
Before my ablation 11 years ago, my normal cycle was bleeding for two weeks, then off for one (and bleeding heavily, clotting, etc.) It had been that way most of the time since I was 14. I had previously had 3 D&C’s and had been on all kinds of hormones to try to regulate me. I was constantly anemic and just a general mess.
When I learned about the ablation, I practically ran to see my GYN. Ironically, she didn’t want to do it because she was worried I would regret not being able to have more children (Ironic because I already had 5) 
Like you, I wondered if I would finally be free from “period prison”. I hope you find it encouraging that all these years later, I have never had a full period. The first couple of years I would have extremely light spotting for a few hours or maybe a day at most. For the last several years there has been nothing! I know that’ s not the case for everyone, but it is pretty great to be part of that 50% you mentioned. Even if you do have some degree of bleeding, chances are it will be much lighter/shorter than what you’ve been suffering with.
Enjoy your freedom!
@Belle315 Thank you for the encouraging words. Your cycles must have seemed never ending! I am most looking forward to not being tied to the house on days 2-4. And hopefully seeing some improvement with my anemia.
Even if I get a period, as long as it isn’t like it was, I’ll be thrilled!!
I agree with @saintfan and recommend that you see a perimenopausal specialist before having any procedure. Ablation is contraindicated for several conditions which IMO should be ruled out prior to any procedure.
My spouse is an ob-gym so I pick up on this stuff, but cannot give medical advice :-). I don’t know the particulars of your situation, but he does ablations all the time and patients are incredibly pleased / grateful. They are a simple procedure. No real downside.
As for the IUD, that got a lot of bad press about 30 years ago when a lot of us were coming of reproductive age, but the IUDs used these days are very different. The ob-gym community in general wishes more women would consider IUDs but faces an uphill battle in convincing people who remember the Dalkon Shield. in brief, today’s IUDs are / can be a very viable option (though of course I can’t pretend to know what’s most appropriate for you). All I’m saying is - don’t let the out-of-date IUD fears dissuade you from considering it if appropriate. Good luck to you!
It’s amazing how many women are dealing with this stuff and nobody realizes it. I started getting very heavy and frequent periods about three years ago after decades of regular cycles and finally decided to get a Mirena installed three weeks ago. We’ll see how it goes.
I cant speak to your specific issues but I was an early adopter of Mirena and I love it. its a no muss, no fuss option for both birth control and period issues. I haven’t had a period in decades…occasionally some VERY light spotting (TMI, but I literally mean one wipe and done). its truly a great option for some of us.
at one time, it wasn’t recommended if you weren’t monogamous because of increased risk for STI’s but as of recent, even the American academy of Pediatrics is recommending it for BC for young people. its both inserted and removed in office and if you’ve had kids, at most there is some discomfort (my understanding is that is more painful if you haven’t, but still doable).
if its an option for your condition it is worth exploring.
and i would absolutely get a second opinion regardless, even if you have to travel to do so.
H is a strong enough proponent of IUDs that he would have recommended it for me if it had been medically appropriate.
Sounds like they did an endometrial biopsy and the lining of your uterus was negative for endometrial cancer.
I have lots of patients who sing the praises of their ablation…periods are completely gone and they have no more problems.
As mom2collegekids mentioned above, you need to know what they think is causing the enlargement. Make sure they do not suspect endometriosis (usually also very painful with cyclical pain, rectal pain, painful bowel movements, etc.). Adenomyosis can also cause an enlarged uterus and while some women do have an ablation for that, most seem to eventually need something more. If endometriosis is suspected, the treatment is excision of the lesions specifically…not an IUD or ablation.
I had cysts and very heavy periods since I started menstrating. I opted for Implanon (Nexplanon) several years ago. No periods. Best decision of my life.
I had a Mirena for periods that were getting heavier and heavier and closer and closer together. My doc thought it was a less invasive procedure than ablation. My periods basically stopped, and when I had it removed at age 49 I found that they had stopped for good!
One problem is that it is one of the falsely restricted contraceptive devices from the Hobby Lobby case so make sure you have coverage.
I had an ablation done to (hopefully) eliminate my 2 week long extremely painful periods. Following the ablation, I bled every day for 1.5 years! New doc decided I had been through enough and recommended a hysterectomy. I cried and hugged her! Come to find out (during surgery) that the bleeding was caused by extensive endometriosis in the uterine walls, on both ovaries, on the uretor, on my hip (???) and growing such that my bladder was attached to the uterine wall. The surgery was supposed to take 1.5 hours, but it took 4.5 hours to get it all. My surgeon was such a professional that she called in an oncologist to assist/take over once she saw the extent of the endometriosis and involvement with other organs. They wound up taking the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. It was the best decision I could have made and I was relieved to be rid of all of that crud growing inside me. BTW-I had never had a diagnosis of endometriosis before waking up from surgery! Women need to really pay attention to abnormal bleeding and get a new doctor if yours doesn’t help you or doesn’t listen to your concerns about your body.
Yes, my GYN suggested Mirena because, as I said, she was concerned I would regret not being able to have more children. She also said that she requires proof that a partner (male) has also been sterilized since conception would not be sustainable without uterine tissue. She said that many male partners were not interested in “doing their part”, so Mirena is a good solution for women in those situations.
My husband was more than happy to oblige, and I was quite sure I was finished bearing children, so I was looking for a more permanent solution that would allow me to keep my organs.
It’s wonderful to have multiple options. My poor mother suffered for many years until she finally had to have an emergency hysterectomy.
If you already have 5 children, I’m pretty sure you know whether or not you want more kids.
GYNs like that get under my skin. Why is there this assumption that women don’t know what they want? Blech…
I saw a gynecologist oncologist when my regular gynecologist referred me. There are many many reasons for bleeding. I had cysts on my ovaries and apparently quite a few over time burst inside me. I had most of my ovaries and both tubes removed and he cleaned up the area. My surgery also took much longer than anticipated. I also had adenomyosis. I didn’t realize how bad I felt until I wasnt in pain anymore. I took the pill for the uterine bleeding.
I find it strange that an ob/gyn would require documentary “proof” of a husband’s vasectomy. That’s very paternalistic and invasive. And why would anyone lie about something like that? As a patient, I know what degree of birth control (if any) I need.
^ Good point, NJ.
What if you don’t have a steady partner? What if you have sex with women and not men?
If my gyno had those kind of ridiculous requirements, they wouldn’t be my doctor any more.
These two statements contradict each other. If she requires proof of sterilization, how would Mirena work with women whose male partners don’t want to “do their part” (whatever the ---- that means)?
My sister had an ablation for heavy periods, seems like it was a good thing.
I had always had heavy periods, was diagnosed with fibroids, but then, when I ended up at a gyn-onc after a ruptured ovarian cyst and some spooky MRI results. They thought I had ovarian cancer, but it turned out to be adenomyosis and stage IV endometriosis, it was everywhere, 6 hour surgery and hundreds of spots removed and I feel better then I ever have. I don’t know what is right for you, but I do wish I had had some sort of intervention much sooner, that was a lot of mess and fuss in my post-childbearing years which I would just as soon have skipped!
Apparently since I always had horrid periods, I never complained enough for a diagnosis of endometriosis and with a high deductible plan all my adult life, I simply never pursued options, as that was normal to me. Like baseball mom, I too, had never been diagnosed with endometriosis. And I feel so much better now, I did not realize how much better other people felt!
Well, I certainly do not want to defend my (former) gynecologist.
I will only say that my assumption is that if a patient were not monogamous and/or had a female partner, said doctor would do the ablation without documentation. As I said, her explanation for insisting that husbands have vasectomies before performing the ablation was that conception could not be sustained if there was no (or not enough) uterine tissue. I don’t know her belief system, but maybe it was a personal religious conviction.
I do wonder what she would do if a patient’s husband refused to comply with her requirement. I also wonder how many patients have gone elsewhere for treatment because they felt her treatment was “paternalistic and invasive”. I’m guessing not that many as we are deep in the Bible belt, and many here would hold similar beliefs about when life begins.
I’m sorry if I worded things badly about the Mirena thing. What I remember the GYN saying (12 years ago) was that Mirena would help with heavy and frequent periods, and since it wasn’t permanent and no uterine tissue would be destroyed, it didn’t matter if the male partner was sterilized or not. I used the phrase “do their part”; the GYN did not. I was simply referring to the doctor’s requirement that the husband/male partner be sterilized prior to the ablation. I apologize for the confusion.
Who knows? Maybe she made all that stuff up about requiring my husband to get a vasectomy because she was that (weirdly) worried about me regretting being sterilized. She said that several of her patients regretted the permanence of ablation. I was only 34 at the time, which probably played a part in her unnecessary concern.
I’m sure we’re all glad to hear that she is no longer my doctor. But she sure did a great job on the ablation