In-Office Procedure with Little Downtime Takes Away Nightmare Periods and Heavy Bleeding

Comprehensive OB-GYN uses NovaSure to Help Busy Women

Stay Active and "On the Go" All Month

Women are starting to discover an in-office procedure that can help cure their heavy bleeding with little downtime, endometrial ablation. Endometrial ablation is a procedure that destroys a thin layer of lining of the uterus. This stops the endometrium from building up each month and then sloughing off, resulting in menstrual bleeding. It's a great alternative to a hysterectomy and endometrial ablation treats heavy menstrual bleeding, which in turn reduces menstrual cramps.

The procedure can be done on pre-menopausal women of any age, but they have to be done having children and cannot desire future fertility. However, endometrial ablation is not considered contraception. While it's very unlikely to become pregnant after having the surgery, it's possible.

Unfortunately for many women, their periods interfere with their lives in a major way. Cramps can be so bad that some women spend the first day of their period in bed. Also, their bleeding can be so heavy that it is hard to do the activities they enjoy. Frequently, many women with heavy periods have to skip doing planned activities both for work and pleasure. Heavy periods can make it difficult to feel like a good mom and to be there for their children who need their mom to be active and on the go.

Dr. David Adler and Dr. Greg Latchaw at Comprehensive OB-GYN of the Palm Beaches (www.comprehensiveobgyn.net) in Loxahatchee perform endometrial ablation right in their offices, under local anesthesia. Endometrial ablation can be done several ways but the Doctors at Comprehensive OB-GYN use a device called NovaSure (www.novasure.com). The slender wand is inserted into the uterus and then expands into a triangular mesh device that touches all the walls of the uterus. Current runs through the mesh, creating a thermal destruction of the uterus' lining. It literally cauterizes the inside of the uterus. Then the physician looks inside the uterus using a device called a hysteroscope to make sure the entire lining has been destroyed.

Dr. Adler and Dr. Latchaw's goal is that patients have no more menses after the procedure, and they are usually able to achieve that. Patients can expect to be at the office for an hour for the procedure, with the procedure itself taking about 15 minutes. They may experience some cramping within the first 24 hours after the procedure, which is treated with pain medication. Usually by the 24-hour mark, it's back to life as usual, except without the debilitating period every month. Some women may experience pain for longer than 24 hours, however, the practice has also had patients who have the procedure done on a Friday and are off to the gym on Saturday.

Heavy menstrual bleeding can lead to anemia and fatigue. Comprehensive OB-GYN has found that many women's lives are severely affected by heavy bleeding. It's probably in the top three complaints Dr. Adler hears from his patients. "Many women can go much of their life without having problem periods and then suddenly start experiencing heavy bleeding in their 40s," says Dr. Adler.

The problem also can be treated by birth control or hysterectomy. A hysterectomy requires two to four weeks of down time and if the ovaries are also removed, some women may need hormone replacement therapy.

Endometrial ablation leaves the ovaries intact, and women still ovulate every month and don't have hormonal changes. The procedure is covered by most health insurance.