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 .

@RandomMess I’m thinking no more periods = less pain/hassle dealing with the blood and everything. Which will consequently make it easier for me to concentrate on the hormones! I have managed to get an appointment with my GP, so ball is finally rolling!

I had this on the NHS and was life changing. Nobody suggested it so I had to research and raise as a possibility. General anaesthetic bit only in hospital a day. Speedy recovery no periods since. 5 star review!!

Yeah I think so too @ToffeePennie

I take magnesium, Taurine, Angus Cactus, Vit B6 to help with my PMT (not sure I do quite tick the PMDD box but the 2 weeks chronic mastalgia is hell alone). Seems to only real treatment is natural oestrogen.

I had an ablation on the NHS and still have periods..
Every.single.month!!!

Should I go back and ask for it to be done again?

I was offered a hysterectomy straight away (among other things) after having an endometrial cyst removed aged 40 and being diagnosed with extensive endometriosis. The mini pill has worked for me, no symptoms at all for years and no periods. I'm sorry you had to go private, OP and you are absolutely right that women should get the treatment they need for these debilitating conditions on the NHS.

@RandomMess I’m sorry it’s shite isn’t it? At least we are not alone.
(TRIGGER WARNING - don’t read any further if you don’t want to hear about suicide/depression)
For me it’s the suicidal feelings, the feelings of hopelessness, the gravity thick pulling into a pit of despair. It’s so cloying and horrible it takes me over for a week before and a week after. During I’m in too much pain to even notice what my feelings are and it’s a huge reason why I work for myself - I can avoid the days when I’m at my worst and avoid period weeks all together. It’s currently just a massive, bloody, exhausting, painful mess that leaves me wiped for two days and then suicidal the rest of the month. It’s literally hell on earth and the last GP I spoke to said “ooh just try and use a hot water bottle and think happy thoughts!” Idiot.

That's awful Toffee - I would investigate if you can buy natural oestrogen somehow, I think it's ££££ like £100 per month.

@RandomMess I was on it for a few months a while back. But it made me really, properly sick. I’m so weird, I throw up at the smallest thing, even if someone changes the tea nags I can puke. I honestly don’t know where else to go (I’m 32 with 2 kids) so OP could not have come at a better time!

Push push push for the ablation.

I'm hoping to go on HRT now I'm old as I am so pissed off with the peri symptoms 4 years and counting!!!

I had this done on the NHS in 2014. I had had months of a continuous heavy period. It made me laugh when I was asked if my family was complete - l was 49 at the time and the youngest of my three children was 18. I have never had another period since. Best thing l did.

@Outbutnotoutout

I had an ablation on the NHS and still have periods.. Every.single.month!!!

Should I go back and ask for it to be done again?

I was told beforehand that it would either make my periods much lighter, make them disappear altogether (which, thankfully, they did) or it would make no difference in which case I would need a hysterectomy. If you are still having heavy periods l think you should go back to the doctor but if they are lighter, even if they are regular, then the ablation has worked.

Not to be the voice of doom but I had an ablation on the NHS a few years ago and it was good for a couple of years, but when
the tissue started to grow back I ended up with adenomyosis and had to have a total hysterectomy.
I had been offered a hysterectomy but thought I would try the ablation first.
I got so swollen I looked 9 months pregnant and couldn't work for a year.

@Cocolapew

Not to be the voice of doom but I had an ablation on the NHS a few years ago and it was good for a couple of years, but when the tissue started to grow back I ended up with adenomyosis and had to have a total hysterectomy. I had been offered a hysterectomy but thought I would try the ablation first. I got so swollen I looked 9 months pregnant and couldn't work for a year.

Yes it’s a risk. About 10% of woman will need something else doing within 4 years I read . Adenomyosis is also known to be a risk factor. My consultant explained that the younger you are the more likely your tissue will grow back. That’s why she stuck a mirena in, it hugely improves the odds of success . I was happy to pay for a hysterectomy. When she explained how high the risk was of prolapse and all sorts of unpleasant stuff I decided I’d avoid it if possible. Even if that means having to have more ablation , coil or whatever. I didn’t have bad periods until I had children. It’s a nice mix of scar tissue , fibroids, mild adenomyosis, and some endo aswell. Right old mess! Consultant came round to see me an hour or two after I woke up and said she could see the device had worked really well, it was a good treatment . I think some sessions are more successful than others. I hate my tummy and desperately want a mini tuck , darent commit until I’m sure this has worked incase I have to buy more treatment. Women’s healthcare round here is shocking. If I told you the things I’ve been through on the gynae wards and maternity dept at this hospital you just wouldn’t believe me. It’s known for being awful i carried my son out of that hospital 12 hrs after an emergency section because I couldnt cope anymore with the horrors and abuse from people that were supposed to be caring. They’d almost killed us the day before when they didnt listen to me aswell. And I’ve been trying to get this fixed for Two decades. I’ll seek private care now going forward if I have to borrow , steal or sell my soul to access it . I’m gutted for you that it didn’t work and made you worse. I hope you’re okay now .

Yes thanks, it was 7 years ago now

Mine was cancelled at the beginning of lockdown 😭

Last time I enquired, theist hadn't been reopened, and I'm guessing I'll have to have all the investigative scans again as it's been so long.

Basically it's now a race between the menopause and the NHS. I think the menopause might win.

I'm just so tired of being tired because of the constant anemia and the fight to get my iron back up every month. And the three days of being housebound. Luckily work are understanding and I can wfh.

Well done to you OP. I’m really happy for you

Why on earth women can’t decide that they want this done and get this on the NHS is beyond me!

[quote ToffeePennie]@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.[/quote]
Oh my good god that sounds absolutely horrific. You poor thing. I thought I was hard done by having heavy periods, but seems like I got off lightly compared to what you have to go through.

Gyne is so different across the UK, in the south west, I've found that we get listened too (once we have researched our issue) and referred as needed - lots of my friends suffer heavy periods and once they manage to speak to a GP that focuses on gyne that get referred and treated.

The number one issue I found is you have to do lots of research yourself and almost state your case to the GP.

Having had a fibroid removed at the end of last year, I've finally aged 33 know what a normal period should be like! That is the issue, I thought my periods were ok, painful but controlled with meds and heavy (got much worse once the fibroid arrived!)

We needed to speak to one another about periods and encourage our friends/family to seek help as periods should only be a minor discomfort and not a life disturbing event!

Glad you finally got sorted OP!

My experience was that GPs (plural) didnt hear what I was saying. I would say I had very heavy periods but when they heard that my periods only lasted 7 days they totally ignored me even though I was slowly becoming more and more anaemic.

To the GPs I saw 'heavy' meant 'long'. My periods werent long so couldnt be heavy.

It was only when I had blood tests ordered by the hospital for a different problem that just how anaemic I was got seen to be a real problem. I will be honest, it was quite amusing to be on the hospital end of the call to my GP with a nurse practitioner bollocking my GP for not having done anything about my anaemia! I could hear the GP's feet shuffling!

Unfortunately I had to be put on warfarin for the other problem which ramped up my heavy periods to a new level of horrific for a few months before I had the ablation done.

Ablation isnt guaranteed to be successful. I was warned that if it didnt work then the next step would be hysterectomy. Fortunately for me it did work.

Women need direct access to gyno llike in many other places imo. Without the need to first spend year battling a gp

@SchrodingersImmigrant quite. I had a period for over a year with no joy from GP. Then a horrible consultant on the NHS, then even investigations put on hold cos Covid, even though they suspected possible cancer. Only when I booked the private consult after a talking to from a friend did things get resolved with the no general anaesthetic outpatient ablation.

I am so grateful to the consultant who did it.

I still can’t quite believe the awful periods won’t return! Don’t want to tempt fate.

Well done, OP. Wishing you success.

It's an absolute scandal how women's health issues are dismissed. Similar to previous posters, I started taking the pill consecutively (no breaks) based off my own research, because my GP thought it was normal to have to take time off work every month for crippling cramps and non-stop floods of bleeding.

I get a little bit of break through bleeding every once in a while but I haven't had a period or cramping in almost a decade. It's saved my mental health (and probably my career).

Agree. I had mine done with sterilisation and it was life changing. Depends on your CCG but neither my GP not my consultant had the slightest objection

I just came across this post, I'm due to have this procedure but I'm a bit apprehensive about it, I'm just desperate now so I haven't really any choice except to do it.
I was just wondering how you're doing after having this done? Any side effects etc?

Not once I recovered no nothing apart from very scant spotting instead of periods.