To think I’ve just done the best thing ever!

[Millionnewnames]

I’ve had awful painful heavy periods for about 20 years. The sort where you can’t attend a wedding, you miss an expensive exam and you have to take those bloody awful utovlan pills while you’re on holiday if you fuck the dates up. Ive been blue lighted to hospital after heamorghing and had transfusions and told to ‘ask my GP to refer me again’ . But on Friday , after years of being fucked about I used every cent I had plus a big loan from my youngest child’s dad ( he’s a legend ) and went to a private hospital to have an ablation . After hysteroscopy , novo sure and the whole ‘burning your womb out’ thing, I’m assured that I’m unlikely to even have another period , much less almost bleed to death again. I’m free to turn up to stuff , can probably ditch the iron supplements and can generally get on with life . I’m furious on behalf of other women who aren’t as lucky as I am though, why the bloody hell can’t the 30% of women suffering from adenomyosis, endometriosis, fibroids and all the hormonal shit that does this to us get proper care and this treatment ? It’s quick, cheap , low downtime and life changing. I’ve lost so much life and opportunities due to my fucking obnoxious uterus. I’d love to see more women have access to this. Earlier. Cheaper. Sooner. Why do We have to suffer so long? Why is it ok? Just because we are women? Why did I have to find the money to pay for it privately ? I’d be left at least another 2 years if it was on NHS. It’s lost me jobs, exams, driving tests , it’s nothing okay to be bleeding through the biggest sanitary protection you can find and it’s not okay to be so anaemic you can’t function. I’m sorted now. I’m not leaving everyone else behind though. We need to fix this .

Does it stop periods for everyone? I was told it wouldn’t necessarily stop mine so didn’t consider it further. Wondering if I should consider it again. I have the mirena coil plus I’m taking cezarette and my periods are still in full swing.

I paid £5.5k which included a biopsy and some investigation into a funky huge cyst in one ovary . The actual treatment is I think about £3k just for the ablation if you’re brave enough to do it under sedation rather than a general. I felt fine on waking, then got really severe cramps for about 6 hours , I needed max dose Ibruprofen and codeine . I fell asleep and when I awoke I literally had no pain at all , I was busy doing housework ( DP is lovely but hopeless in this department) and then got on with some work ( 3 hrs ish ) consultant told me not to soak in bath but I could tell my cervix was closed so had a quick dip and then I genuinely was more bothered by a sore throat ( general anaesthetic) and couldn’t feel any pain downstairs at all. As consultant described , there’s a watery discharge which is slightly bloodstained , you’d barely need a panty liner though, literally a drip an hour . And because I’ve been on norithesterone forever I’ve sweated like anything and actually look slimmer and less spotty already! My mum saw me today and said ‘Christ you look good’. She’s not someone that’s known for compliments, that’s genuine :) I had the ablation plus mirena as I’m young , I’ve had mirena before and had a bad experience with it but it’s different if you have it with the ablation as scar tissue doesn’t absorb the hormones as much and it’s more there just to stop the cells trying to rejuvenate and make sure the scar tissue ‘wins’.Endometrial cells apparently are more prolific than any other human cell including cancer cells, they are hard bastards to shut down. Apparently , my procedure went really well and I’m unlikely to ever bleed again. Hallelujah! I’m going to post again after my 4 week check up, I’ll have a scan that’ll hopefully show that I’ve no active endometrium. A hysterectomy would have left me with a 20% chance of incontinence, prolapse and early menopause . This procedure has a zero chance of any of those.

Wow your experience sounds really positive! Best wishes for your recovery.

Can I just say, this treatment is available on the NHS you really have to fight for it though and they won’t entertain you if you’re under 35 as it does mean you can’t have more children.
In order to be put forward for it the protocol is that you have tried all the tablet treatments ( if safe) so that’s contraceptive pills. Then the tranexemic acid approach ( coagulant modifier) and the coils ( GP’s love the coils but they can be horrible ) and after jumping through these hoops you might get a scan that says you’ve got endometriosis, adenomyosis etc then another 6 months to see a gynaecologist. Take it from someone that was given a blood transfusion from almost bleeding to death in A&E but stabilised and sent home without even seeing a gynaecologist because you know, they’re busy. Even if you can’t afford the treatment , see a private doctor to get the diagnosis . They have to act on it. It’s not fair that our suffering is seen as okay, just because it’s ‘natural’ . Tony’s heart attack is ‘natural ‘ because he’s obese and smokes like a chimney . He deserves care and so do you . Get yourselves sorted girls . There are treatments . Please don’t suffer . My daughter will probably be where I am in a few years . I’d like to think she won’t spend 15 years trying to get sorted .

I had this nhs, didn’t really work for me, wish I’d not bothered

I had a full ablation . Was told my womb would look like the surface of the moon afterwards . All the blood vessels they could find would be cauterised so that they couldn’t feed endometrium . I was also told because of my age 36 that even if a few cells were missed they’d regenerate and I’d need the treatment again in about 5 years. That’s why I agreed to the mirena. I was against it initially after having a bad experience in the past . But an ablated womb doesn’t try to expel it and doesn’t absorb any hormones as such and it just stops the endometrium cells growing back. I’m told it’s about a 94% chance of never bleeding again. And without the risks associated with hysterectomy it seemed like a no brainer to me. I’ll honestly update later on, I just want people to know they don’t have to put up with the shit anymore . We deserve better .

@Millionnewnames

Can I just say, this treatment is available on the NHS you really have to fight for it though and they won’t entertain you if you’re under 35 as it does mean you can’t have more children. In order to be put forward for it the protocol is that you have tried all the tablet treatments ( if safe) so that’s contraceptive pills. Then the tranexemic acid approach ( coagulant modifier) and the coils ( GP’s love the coils but they can be horrible ) and after jumping through these hoops you might get a scan that says you’ve got endometriosis, adenomyosis etc then another 6 months to see a gynaecologist. Take it from someone that was given a blood transfusion from almost bleeding to death in A&E but stabilised and sent home without even seeing a gynaecologist because you know, they’re busy. Even if you can’t afford the treatment , see a private doctor to get the diagnosis . They have to act on it. It’s not fair that our suffering is seen as okay, just because it’s ‘natural’ . Tony’s heart attack is ‘natural ‘ because he’s obese and smokes like a chimney . He deserves care and so do you . Get yourselves sorted girls . There are treatments . Please don’t suffer . My daughter will probably be where I am in a few years . I’d like to think she won’t spend 15 years trying to get sorted .

GPs don’t love coils. Gynaecologists (presumably following advice from the Royal College and NICE) prefer patients to try the Mirena coil before having surgery. GPs are told to fit them. We don’t love them. In fact, I actively dislike fitting them.

My mum had this done a few years ago (not sure exactly, she'll be 60 this year), and it completely changed her life.

Like you, she was plagued by her periods. She wore a max tampon and pad and still had to set an alarm every two hours at night to change. She had a coil fitted twice to try and help, it fell out both times.

She had a bit of bleeding post-ablation then never another period again. She would recommend it to anyone. She was lucky enough to have it done on the NHS, could never have afforded those numbers.

I feel lucky that my periods have been practically non existent for the last decade or so (had the implant fitted after my last child at 25, changed once at 28, then haven't had it taken out or changed since, am 37 now). My 16 year old really suffers though, and has done since she was 12. 13 year old started at 11 and they seem real heavy too, but it's still early days for her yet.

I had the uterine ablation two years ago under general anesthesia-best experience-zero residual pain in recovery and no more monthly hemorrhaging!

I have had this on NHS. DD had it when she was 28 on NHS.

I had this done on he NHS.. as have several woman I know.. it's readily available... not sure why you believe it's not...

I’m so pleased for you that you did get this on the NHS In a timely manor . That’s exactly what should happen. Unfortunately that’s not the case for lots of us and I’d like to see more women treated sooner .

I have had it done. Three years ago. It has completely given me back my life. I was told that it will last approx 5 years and I will likely need it repeating, and then I will be through the menopause. I had mine as day surgery under GA. I was back to normal within 48 hours - I don't react well to GA. I too had it done on the NHS, but I was referred to a private hospital / Gynecologist.

I had this done 10 years ago and not had a drop of blood since! My mum had it done 12 years ago and not a Single bleed either.

Due to heavy endometriosis, my mums’ womb was very thick so she had to have hormone treatment for 3 months before to thin the lining of the womb so the ablation could get a good seal.

We’ve both been pretty evangelical about it and encouraged friends to push on the NHS for the treatment. 5 have had it done and only 2/5 had no bleeding again. The other 3 were long term endometriosis sufferers and weren’t offered the hormone treatment first to thin the lining- they noticed a reduction on bleeding but not what they were hoping.

I think this is a life changing treatment and I agree with you OP that more women should have access to it without having to push so hard for it. So happy you are so delighted with the outcome.

I had this (Novasure method) done privately (covered by medical insurance) a few years ago after years of being fobbed off by GP.

Recovery was a breeze after GA. Not had a period since.

I was fortunate in that I had fibroids buried in the uterine wall which were stopping my uterus contracting but because they were buried they didnt get in the way of the procedure.

This is a sign of the nhs sleepwalking into a two-tier system. You will get emergency and a rapidly shrinking core service. Anything more you will have to pay for.
My example is perhaps less dramatic, but nonetheless debilitating. I paid £55 for earwax removal because GPs no longer do it.

@TableFlowerss no I absolutely can’t. I vomit when I try to insert a tampon, they cause the pain to ramp up hundred fold, I have PMDD, so it’s not really a good solution at all.
PMDD is the reason I cant use coil (too uncomfortable), hormone based treatments (my hormones are already crazy!). Frankly anything to control my periods that is market friendly is already ruled out due to various issues they cause me.
It’s lovely that you can wear a tampon, but for me, unless I want to be on the floor every second with severe pain and vomiting every 5-6 mins, it’s just not worth it.
I’m already on 3 types of medication just to get my body to try and cope with what’s happening.

I had an ablation in 2011 and it changed my life. No more blood soaked clothes/bedding/chairs. Straightforward day surgery under a GA. I was referred by my GP and it was all done and dusted within a couple of months.

@QueenBee52

I had this done on he NHS.. as have several woman I know.. it's readily available... not sure why you believe it's not...

Oh good. That’s nice for you. Thanks for the durr face too.

I’ve never heard of this procedure OP. I’m glad you posted this thread as I’ve had years of back and forth with my GP about painful periods and keep getting told that all they can offer is the coil and tranxemic acid. I will bring it up next time I inevitably faint due to pain and am going through the usual with them.

I'm so happy for you! Never heard of this procedure before. My life revolves around my period so this is really interesting.

Mine was done when I was 30 in the NHS and I didn't need to fight for it.

I have had my 2dc and my partner had a vasectomy a few months before. I waited less than 12 weeks on nhs and I just had to explain my symptoms and I was referred immediately. (I'd already tried coil and other hormonal contraception and it was awful). I had never heard of an ablation and it was my GP that suggested it.

Although other people's expiernece may be different please dont assume just because you are under 35 or can't afford to go private that you won't get it.

Life changing for me no more periods. Hurray!

@Millionnewnames

I’m so pleased for you that you did get this on the NHS In a timely manor . That’s exactly what should happen. Unfortunately that’s not the case for lots of us and I’d like to see more women treated sooner .

Postcode lottery.

I had severe ends - after years of agony and investigative operations ending up with them removing an ovary which made no difference I was offered ablation as a last possibility before hysterectomy.

It has changed my life - I went from barely functioning and considering giving up my career to being 100% fine.
I had it done without a general and I won't lie it was very painful - with hindsight I'd opt for anaesthetic (I was given the choice)

My only regret is that it wasn't offered to me earlier as I spent two decades in pain that impacted on every aspect of my life.

@ToffeePennie it won't deal with your PMDD as your hormones aren't affected but that will be more manageable I suspect when you aren't suffering with everything else!

Who on earth has voted that @Millionnewnames is being unreasonable to want better care for women’s gynaecological health? And why?