Sometimes, the most natural functions can take a most unnatural turn — and your period often fits that bill. Fortunately, endometrial ablation is a safe, effective solution to rogue menstrual cycles.
Here at Women's Health - Mid-Atlantic Women's Care in Newport News, Virginia, Cheri Coyle, MD, and our talented team, take a closer look at this minimally invasive procedure and helps you determine if it’s the right choice for you.
One of the key players in your menstrual cycle is the endometrium — the layer of tissue that lines your uterus. The endometrium is what sheds and causes bleeding during your period.
It’s never a fun experience dealing with monthly bleeding, but a normal cycle is typically easy to manage. When your bleeding becomes heavy or lasts longer than it should (a condition known as menorrhagia), we start at the source, with your endometrium.
One of the best ways to curb excessive menstrual bleeding is to destroy (ablate) your endometrial tissue.
We offer the best, most effective endometrial ablation technology: NovaSure®. To perform this procedure in our outpatient surgery center, we go in through your vagina and cervix to avoid making an incision. We open your cervix and insert the NovaSure wand to easily access your uterus.
Once the wand reaches the uterus, we open a triangular-shaped net and direct pulses of radiofrequency energy at your endometrium, which destroys it in a matter of minutes. Then, we carefully retract the netting and remove the wand.
The procedure itself is simple and fast. Bonus: it’s virtually painless, as well. We administer an outpatient anesthetic before we begin to make sure you’re completely comfortable. You can expect to rest in the recovery room for about two hours following your treatment, and we recommend that you have a trusted friend or family member drive you home.
Within a day or so, you can return to your normal activities, with little to no pain or side effects. We do encourage you to avoid intercourse and tampon use for several days.
Now that you know a bit more about the procedure and how it works, let’s take a look at who’s the ideal candidate.
A heavier-than-normal period is one of the first indicators that you can benefit from endometrial ablation. This means that you soak through tampons and pads every hour, you have to change your tampon and pad at night, and/or your period lasts longer than the average seven days.
Not only is heavy bleeding a nuisance, but it can also lead to anemia, especially if you’re passing blood clots larger than the size of a quarter.
We may also recommend endometrial ablation if you have abnormal uterine bleeding that occurs outside of your regular monthly cycles.
Because endometrial ablation puts an end to your regular menstrual bleeding, you should know that it also puts an end to your ability to have children safely. We don’t recommend this procedure if you hope to start a family in the future. We recommend a vasectomy or tubal ligation.
Ready for relief from your cumbersome period? We’d love to talk with you. Call or go online to request an appointment at our Newport News, Virginia, office today.
