Endometrial Ablation -- Anyone else?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » EDS Lounge

free skin care · Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:50 am

I'm currently scheduled to have an endometrial ablation in a couple of weeks ... has anyone else had this procedure done???

I do have a sister-in-law who had it done and who has had good results with it, but I'm very interested in learning about side effects, and for those who have had it done, whether they would recommend it.

My symptoms are heavy cramping and bleeding -- I went off the Pill five months ago after being on it for 30 years, and I'd like to try to stay off the Pill from now on if possible.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice -
Cathy

free skin care · Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:15 pm

I had it done almost 3 years ago went well for the 1st 6months then all the symptoms came back so i went on BCP and still the heavy bleeding etc. Last June had a hyst uterus & cervix kept the overies. LIFE IS GREAT/ But I have friends that had this procedure and it worked for them. Its easy recovery and Iam sure you will be fine PM if you need more info good luck

free skin care · Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:53 am

My story is very similar to redhead but I was left with only one ovary. The procedure itself wasn't painful to me at all. We could have repeated the ablation again but the discomfort and pain was getting to be too much and my uterus had swollen to the size of a 5 month pregnancy as well. Only downfall of going ahead with the hysterectomy was skin aging faster, which is why I am here.

free skin care · Tue Mar 25, 2008 3:45 pm

red head & AnnieR

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It seems like this procedure has a high rate of failure; still, I'm currently thinking I will probably go through with it with the hope that it gives me a way to stay off BCPs. As long as it doesn't somehow make my symptoms worse, at least the recovery time is fast and the risks seem low ... but is like a roll of the dice, for sure Crying or Very sad

I'm glad you both found success with your hysterectomies -- this is not so much an option for me right now as I am self employed and can't afford to have that much downtime...

free skin care · Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:49 am

I had a laparoscopy to look for endo and beforehand my gyno talked to me about treatment options if they found it. She said that there is a high rate of failure in ablation because it's extremely difficult to see all of the endometrial tissue (behind organs and such), the technique she preferred was the use of a medication that stopped all hormones for about 6 months allowing the endo tissue to be metabolized since it's hormonally caused. She said it was like a mini menopause and had to be done under strict observation because a risk was to go into actual meno if taken for too long. Each option sounds scary to me but the pain makes a lot of things seem worth it. Mine wasn't caused by endo so I didn't have either of those treatments. It is extremely beneficial to see a doctor with a lot of knowledge in endometriosis though. It really makes all the difference.

free skin care · Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:58 pm

SylphideNoir wrote:

I had a laparoscopy to look for endo and beforehand my gyno talked to me about treatment options if they found it. She said that there is a high rate of failure in ablation because it's extremely difficult to see all of the endometrial tissue (behind organs and such), the technique she preferred was the use of a medication that stopped all hormones for about 6 months allowing the endo tissue to be metabolized since it's hormonally caused. She said it was like a mini menopause and had to be done under strict observation because a risk was to go into actual meno if taken for too long. Each option sounds scary to me but the pain makes a lot of things seem worth it. Mine wasn't caused by endo so I didn't have either of those treatments. It is extremely beneficial to see a doctor with a lot of knowledge in endometriosis though. It really makes all the difference.

Hi SylphideNoir

Do you know if your gyn meant that it's hard to see all the abnormal endometrial tissue (as in endometriosis) or if she meant the normal endometrial tissue, which is just the uterine lining? I haven't been diagnosed with endometriosis -- at least not yet -- although I have had pain.

-Cahty

free skin care · Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:03 am

She meant that when you open the abdomen to laser the endometrial tissue that is everywhere it isn't supposed to be (anywhere other than the uterus and fallopian tubes) it is near impossible to remove every little bit of it. The next time you have a hormone flux through normal biological cycles that remaining tissue starts multiplying again. A friend of mine had the surgery done 3 times before the surgeon said it wasn't worth going under the knife again since it just keeps coming back. The real rub of it all is that even if you did remove it there is still a chance that endometrial cells will migrate out of the uterus and start the process over again. It seems like hormonal algae doesn't it?

free skin care · Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:38 am

I was diagnose with endometriosis 10 years ago and had estorectomy, and 1 year later, ENDO CAME BACK..........I'm now suffering from pain 24/7, I try to take herbal remedies, but no more surgery for me.............Hysterectomy is not a cure for endo, some women they feel very good after the surgery, some don't. Good luck!!

free skin care · Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:13 pm

my mom had one done last year...she had severely heavy bleeding during a 3 month time and especially bad during her periods (she has ovarian cysts)...the downtime afterwards was more to do with the anaesthesia, but like many others, it didn't fuly take...she still gets her period, but its not as bad as before.

free skin care · Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:02 pm

You should check out Healia Communities. It is a website for people to get medical advice (from medical professionals), but also meet others who are suffering from the same afflictions to share advice and support. I think it is a great resource for people looking for more information or personal experiences.

free skin care · Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:20 pm

Well, I went to have my EA today and got put under anesthesia, got dilated and then ... they couldn't do it because they said my uterus was too small! I've never heard of such a thing before and of course it was a little disappointing because now I am bleeding from the dilation, woozy from the anesthesia, no baths-- no sex--no tampons for a month (between you and me, it's the baths that are going to kill me Laughing

) and all the expense for a procedure that didn't happen.

On the plus side, I suppose it is less embarrassing to be told one is too small rather than too big (unless one is a male ... ha ha ha) and I know that now I will just resign myself to going back on BCPs, which controlled the bleeding in the past. In fact, my doctor offered a Pill to me today that he took away from me 20 years ago (Demulen, in case you're interested) because I stopped getting my period while I was on it. I think back then, they felt that it was more important for a woman to actually bleed each month, but I was so very disappointed when I had to give it up because life was very good while on it.

So, maybe they will find out that BCPs are like the fountain of youth and these pills that I didn't want anymore might help keep me younger? As you can see, I'm trying to look on the bright side of this Cool

free skin care · Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:06 pm

Wait...they were going to remove the endometrial lining from INSIDE your uterus?! What good would that do? Confused

That sounds very sketchy to me but I'm not a doctor yet.

free skin care · Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:23 pm

SylphideNoir wrote:

Wait...they were going to remove the endometrial lining from INSIDE your uterus?! What good would that do? Confused

That sounds very sketchy to me but I'm not a doctor yet.

It's a newer treatment. In the past, they used to do D&Cs on women with bleeding problems, which involved scraping the lining of the uterus. My understanding is that these D&Cs ofen only helped for a few months, because the lining would grow back. So, many women ended up getting hysterectomies to resolve their problems.

With the ablation, the goal is to cauterize the lining, and to keep it from regrowing. If a woman is very lucky, she doesn't have any more bleeding, but most women continue to have some (only lighter) and for some women, it doesn't help at all. There's different techniques to do it -- mine would have been with a device called Novasure ... here's a link as it's actually kind of interesting, I think, and it's always good to know that as medicine evolves we have these options available to us that weren't available in the past ... http://www.novasure.com/irregular-period/novasure-endometrial-ablation.cfm

-Cathy

free skin care · Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:43 pm

Oh, I assumed you were going under for Endometriosis. That's why I was confused. Razz

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.