I won't stop spotting and or bleeding. My doc put me on the pill to see if that would get things going in the right direction but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working. So, I'm wondering if anyone here has had an alturnative procedure done that's out right now like Novasure. I'd like to know what your results were and what to expect. The web site isn't real clear to me and I don't know anyone who has tried this procedure. Please help me if you can.

Thanks.

Hi Karen,

I had an endometrial ablation done about 4 years ago. Best thing I ever did.

I was having periods that would last a good 7 days and then keep spotting for another 14 days. My dr. thought it was a fibroid but didn't find anything once she got in there.

The operation was done under general anesthesia and took about an hour, I think mainly because she was looking around while she was in there. I went home that day (Friday) and was back to work by Monday. No pain afterward, just a little spotting for a couple of days.

After that my periods went to 1-2 days with no spotting after. It lasted for about 3 years until the peri really kicked in. Then I started in with some spotting again but nothing like before.

I'd talk to your doc to see if you are a candidate for the procedure. I know they say some women aren't but I'm not sure why. I would definitely recommend it.

Good luck! I know how annoying this can be.

Hi Working Girl,
I just had the Novasure ablation on Jan 11th. I had it under local anesthesia with sedation. I was basically asleep thru it and when I woke up I felt fine. I had minor discomfort at home that day, (not even enough for pain medication) and after that felt totally normal.
My doctor said that it takes 3 months to really know how your periods are going to be afterwards. I am actually having my period right now and it's just spotting, not enough to wear a tampon or pad.
Prior to the ablation, I had 10 day long periods, they'd come sometimes early, sometimes on time, and they were really heavy, then light, then heavy again, and with spotting before and after. I was miserable.

The procedure itself is no big deal. I had to have an ultrasound and a hysteroscopy with endometrial biopsy to make sure I was a good candidate for the procedure. They check for fibroids and they have to measure your uterus (it can't be too large).

Anyways, if you want more info, feel free to PM me or email me.
Hope that helps,
Julie

Thanks both of you. This is really bothering me and I didn't know that it would be an issue at 37yrs. Apparently it's common; just one more thing my mom didn't tell me! LOL

I'm a little tweeked about all this bleeding but I'm hoping that by next month maybe just maybe the pill will work???

Working Girl,

I'm only 35 (just turned in January) and had all the period problems. My mom went thru menopause early and they say you follow your mom's pattern. My periods have been wacky starting at age 33. Seems sooooo young! Ugh.

Julie

Julie,

I'm pretty upset today because while I'm taking the pill to control bleeding (which by the way seems not to be working) I'm dealing with Migraines! So I guess the solution is worse than the problem; this solution. I think I may have to try the novasure. We shall see. My doc asked me to please give the pill 3mos. Ugh! I just want to FEEL NORMAL!!!!!!!!!

Hi Karen,
Sorry you now have a migraine! Gosh, men have it so easy, huh? <_<

I had the option of going on bcp's but I opted out b/c I didn't want to be on them forever. I took them for years before I had kids and didn't want to start again. My doctor said that we won't really know the results of the Novasure for 3 months, but it has a very high success rate so hopefully I'm one of the successes. We shall see...

Hope you feel better soon!
Julie

[font=Arial Black][size=4]Hi. I had a Nova Sure Procedure done over a year ago. It has helped my
bleeding considerably. But then, I don't know if it's because I am in peri-menopause right now or what.
I'm 49 yrs old. It did help me.

I had Novasure done in January and the first 4 periods after it were not any better than they had been. But this last one has surprised me! It is so much lighter, I have no "period discomfort" and it seems like it will definitely be shorter than they usually are. So, I guess maybe it did help! I had come to the conclusion that I was not one of the successes but maybe i was wrong!

It is important to know why you are bleeding - an ultrasound can rule out some things. We were under the mistaken impression last year when I had my ablation that a fibroid, which was removed during ablation because of where it was located, was causing my heavy bleeding (which did not necessarily bother me too too much) and the horrendous cramps, which literally felt like someone was ripping my insides out. I never saw any relief from the ablation and we learned when my hysterectomy was done that I had endometriosis in the wall of my uterus - I am happy I had the hysterectomy and sorry I wasted my money last year. Unfortunately, finding things in the walls of your uterus sometimes only happens after it is gone ) Speak with your doctor and find out WHY you are having problems - does he think they are hormonal, a fibroid, endometriosis or what before you move forward. Even if you cannot find out why perhaps some things can be ruled out and you can research whether the ablation has a chance to help you.

I had Novasure done March of this year, and I did not have quite the quick recovery most have.. I bled everyday for 4 weeks...finally she gave me some hormones and that fixed it and now I am off of them... I have had 3 periods since then and while they are shorter, they are just as painful for me... I hope this gets better... Glad I found this board!

Hi Sherry and welcome!

I'm sorry the Novasure didn't work as well for you. I wonder if maybe they didn't take out enough. I'm not exactly sure how they do it but it seems to me if they don't take out enough tissue you would still get the heavy bleeding.

I had the procedure done and it worked really well for a few years,until the peri really kicked in. I went from 7 day periods with 2 weeks of spooting after down to 3 day periods with no spotting. Unfortuanely the peri has taken all the good away! Now it's 2-3 periods a month sometimes!

I had a hysterectomy and actually the path report showed I had endometriosis in the wall of my uterus so that explains the pain and bleeding I think. I thought if it worked it worked so I am sorry that yours has suddenly stopped working.

Me too! I talked to the doctor about it last week and he said we could do another if it keeps up since I had such good results the last time but it could also be that I'm near the end. I think I'll give it some time and see what happens.

I had Novasure back in January and it didn't work very well for me either. In the last couple of months my periods are lighter than they used to be, but they still last too long. The shortest period i've had since the procedure is 6 days. The last one was 8 days. Before the procedure they were about 10 days long. I go to my doctor in July. I'm curious to see what she says...

Wow I seem to be going through the same thing as alot of you ladies . I am 47 and peri-menopausal. I had been on BC pills for 12 years to control diagnosed Endometriosis and heavy periods. Eveything was great until about a year ago and now I have horrendous long, heavy periods and my Ultrasound shows I have a thicker then normal uterine lining. I now have to go have an endometrial biospy and then I go back to the gyno. We will be discussing my options of a D&C or the Novasure procedure. I am not even sure if I am a candidate now for the Novasure because of the thickened lining but I can't take much more of this heavy bleeding and cramping. Have any of you had any of the symptome I have and had either of these procedures done? Working Girl I know what you are going through as the pill worked great for me for many years but now it doesn't work at all and I can't go on like this. I really need something done I am just not sure which is the best way to go. Good Luck .....Cindy

"I have horrendous long, heavy periods and my Ultrasound shows I have a thicker then normal uterine lining. I am not even sure if I am a candidate now for the Novasure because of the thickened lining but I can't take much more of this heavy bleeding and cramping. Have any of you had any of the symptome I have and had either of these procedures done?"


Bixa525,
My symptoms that led up to the Novasure procedure were long and heavy periods that were beginning to come closer together as well as thickening of the lining of the uterus. So it sounds like you may be a candidate for Novasure. If you go ahead and do it, I hope you have better results than I did. Unfortunately it didn't do too much for me. My periods are lighter (which is great) but they're still pretty long.
Anyways, just wanted to let you know that we have some of the same symptoms.
Take care,
JBW

JBW I am sorry to hear about the procedure not working so well for you. I am at my wits end so I have to do something. Did you happen to go on the pill after the procedure? I wonder if I do decide to go with the Novasure and it only helps minimally if maybe going back on the pill afterwards would help things along. I guess I am just trying to figure out what will work best since I have to get some relief somewhere. Are you on anything since your Novasure was done? I am 47 and my gyno tells me I am no where near menopause yet so I could have years of this stuff. I don't think I can take it for another 10 years.

bixa525.....Hi, someone I know had an endometrial ablation and still had heavy bleeding, so her gyno put her on progesterone for 6 months then she stopped taking it and her periods were lighter and continued to lighten until approx. 6 months later finished. A friend of mine had a thick lining, her gyno just gave her a D&C and put her on progeterone, still waiting on her results. If you are able to take progesterone it may help, it depends on the person, but it is worth giving it a go.

Ablations are successful for some and not for others. You must remember that an endometrial ablation will hopefully give you normal to light periods, you may not get one again, but you must go into your procedure expecting a period and if you are one of the very lucky ones who don't get one, it would be the icing on the cake. For some endometrial ablation doesn't work.

I hope this information has been of help.



If I can help answer anymore questions you may have, I'm happy help*S*


I meant I'm happy to help*S*

Hi Aussie,
I am actually taking Progesterone right now while I am waiting to find out what my options are. I only have been taking it for not even a month now so I guess it's to early to tell if it will help or not. I am still going to have either the D&C or the Novasure but maybe with combining it afterwards with the Progesterone maybe that will be the ticket. I sure hope so because this can be very depressing. Thanks for your help.

Hi Bixa525,
I did not go on the pill after the novasure procedure. My doctor gave it to me as an option, but I really didn't want to have to start taking a pill. I'm only 35 years old, so I definitely hear you when you say you have a long way to go. I have not done anything in regards to medicine, hormones, etc. since having the Novasure. I don't like taking pills anyways (even tylenol I try to avoid) so if I can do without, I will.

My symptoms (aside from long and very heavy periods) seem to come and go and for the most part they are manageable without intervening. Lets hope it stays that way!

Hope you resolve your problems. Let me know if you have any other questions.

JBW

I'm schedule to have the Novasure procedure done in about 3wks. I'm worried that this is going to be another "quick fix" to a big problem. My doctor has implied that I might be going thru the change early (I just turned 29 last month). I just delivered my 3rd daughter in March, and ever since then things have been quite screwy. My first clue was that it took weeks to stop bleeding after the delivery. My first two post-delivery bleedings lasted less than 5 days with my first, and less than 10 days with my second.

I was told that since I gained so little with my 3rd (11lbs) and I lost so much so quickly (24lbs in the first 3days) my body couldn't regulate the drastic changes. Ok, that could explain away the first month of bleeding. I was breastfeeding as well, so that SHOULD've decreased the length of bleeding on its own merit. But 4weeks like clockwork I had my first cycle. Didn't seem to weird (other than I felt like I had been bleeding forever!). A few weeks later things started changing...I spotted nearly everyday, or had a heavy discharge. I did have a bacterial infection, which doc said was from "stress"...GO FIGURE!!!.

By my 3rd cycle, I was bleeding thru super-absorbancy pads within 1 1/2 hrs! I NEVER bled thru my undergarments until this point...I ruined just about every pair I owned! Periods were coming about every 12 days. So my doc scheduled a hystoscopy. I had that done on 8/23 and was told I would spot the first few days and then should be "clear" for about 4weeks. Exactly 6 days later, I started a FULL cycle worse than before, & had never stopped spotting from the procedure. I had a 2wk chkup from the hystoscopy and WAS STILL BLEEDING! She told me to wait one more cycle to see how things went...its worse than ever now.

I was told after the hystoscopy that I had stopped ovulating and that my uterus was enlarged and full of tissue. Doc said I was "aging"...freak out!! She said that all of my symptoms were related (Migraines, fatigue & insomnia TOGETHER, memory loss, even my tastebuds are changing). She told me that I'd feel PMS-like 24-7! She described it like non-stop estrogen and no progesterone to balance me out, since there was no more eggs!

So long story short, with my track record of the last 6mo, I'm wondering if this Novasure procedure is going to really help anything. I'm petrified of needing a hysterectomy, and hate the idea of HRT if I do have to go that route.

My emotions are going crazy...the only time I feel sane is when I'm with my kids...they make me forget all this other mess. But my husband and I aren't exactly on the same page, because he doesn't understand how what I'm going thru could affect EVERY area of my life. My face is breaking out like I'm 14, my hair is either falling out or turning gray, my weight is fluctuating...some days I feel like eating a horse, some days I eat like a bird...I can't find a temperature that works for me, I feel snippy one second and the next I'm bouncing off the walls. I can't remember anything that isn't written down...

This s*cks...I have a 5yr old in kindergarten, and a 3yr old and 6mo old at home with me....PLUS A MILLION other responsibilities between family, friends and church...and I work part-time!!!! My husband has crazy hours, so the little we see one another we are fighting because I'm so cranky by that time of the day.............am I going crazy? will this EVER end????

Mom2angels,

I am so sorry you are going through this. For your hysterectomy, did they remove your ovaries also and did the doctor even talk about not removing the ovaries?

Anyway, yes if your hysterectomy involved removal of the ovaries, you are being thrown into early menopause and perhaps some hormone supplementation will help.

Do take care and let us know how you are doing.

Plumeria

Hi Mom2Angels,

Although I am 15 years older than you are, most of what you wrote about regarding the bleeding pattern and symptoms are very similar to what I experienced.

It took a long time and reading lots of posts on PS to help me realize my peri started before the birth of my youngest child who is now nine years old. It took nearly 4 years for me to conceive him. I was 32 when we started trying, I was 36 1/2 when he was born. Prior to that being able to conceive was never a problem (I have six kids). Thus, I believe this is when anovulatory cycles started. One of my first symptoms was heavier bleeding. Time between my cycles shortened considerably and lasted longer as well. Periods every 16 days, heavy bleeding that lasted 10-12 days or longer. This has gone on for years.

In January of this year I had a bleed that lasted 29 days. That scared me so I went to the gyno who did all the appropriate testing and scheduled me for Novasure. I checked the PS boards and read mixed reviews about the procedure. Ultimately, I decided that "cooking your insides" was not the solution since to me this just seems like putting a bandaid on the problem. It doesn't fix the hormonal imbalance that is causing it. It just stops the symptom. Also, if you were given the Novasure brochure, it has a caveat regarding the fact that should you have endometrial/uterine cancer in the future it will be much harder to detect if you have had the ablation procedure. Thus, I cancelled my appointment to have this done.

The good news is that my bleeding pattern in the last 2 months has returned to semi-normal. It isn't nearly as heavy as it was and the cycles are longer apart than they were. And, they have become lighter again lasting only about 5 days. It appears, from some of the other posts I have read that this is somewhat common.

Did your doctor suggest a trial of birth control pills to see if that would correct the hormone imbalance? My doctor wouldn't consider it as I am 45 years old and a smoker. Not a good candidate. Perhaps, this would help your situation.

I hope this info helps. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Hugs, Susan

I am almost 40 and considering the endometrial ablation procedure. I have heavy bleeding and severe cramping. Did you consider it worth it to do this procedure?

Yes! It was definately the right thing to do, in my case. I was also having heavy bleeding and cramping that came and went throughout the month. After several discussions with my gyn and researching my options, I decided to try the Novasure.
Best thing I ever did...I had it done in July of 2007. I had some very light spotting for about two weeks after the procedure, which is normal. The procedure itself was not bad - they put me under a general anesthesia. When I woke up I was cramping quite a bit, but the pain meds they gave me helped tremendously. THat was the worst of it. I was back to normal activities in a couple of days.

Since that time, over a year now, I have NOT had a period...not even spotting! IT has been great! To go from heavy, irregular bleeding to this has been heaven. It has been a wonderful alternative to the drastic hysterectomy, which should only be considered as a last resort, or if there has been a cancer diagnosis.

Like I said, I can only speak from my own experience. But, I feel it is worth a shot, if your doctor feels you are a good candidate for this type of procedure.

Good luck with your decision. Feel free to PM me at any time!

Hugs,
Di