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Endometrial Ablation

61 replies

mizu · 24/07/2010 15:02

Has anyone had this done - womb lining removed due to really heavy periods? I have had the consultation and have thought hard about it for a month and have decided to go ahead.

Any experiences? Does it work well? Also what contraception did you use after as I currently have a copper coil in and have been told that I can't have a coil in after the operation.

Thanks

OP posts:
Mouseface · 26/07/2010 20:43

cargirl

Me niether. I think it was when my periods were very irregular. I'd have 2 in one calendar month sometimes.

It didn't help.

So you're not going friday? What help will you need if you don't mind me asking? Is it no lifting etc because if so, I will struggle. DS has SN and needs lots of lifting, mopping up etc, DH is going to have to help out......

Military operation required if they say this is what I need then!!

CarGirl · 26/07/2010 20:50

Well going on what the above poster said, need strong pain killers for the first 3 days (ie the whole weekend when they're home) and then a week before you feel much better. I'm getting sterlised as well so I'm assuming being pumped full of gas will be a big cause of the pain?

I'm planning on going to bed for 3 days and leave dh to it because he has been such a wimp over having the snip so he owes me .

Dh doesn't drive so someone needs to do that and also I will want dh with me at the hospital pre and post-op, op at 4pm and same day discharge providing there are no complications .

Anyway MIL is free that weekend so I'm booked in the diary for her to be on hand and help out.

orienteerer · 26/07/2010 20:57

Yep, great. I had Mirena coil put in at same time, also fantastic. I felt tired after I got home same day but no pain. 100% fine by next day, didn't need any pain killers and was up and about as normal.

Mouseface · 26/07/2010 21:06

CarGirl!!

Will see what is suggested then. Thanks for your advice.

herbietea · 26/07/2010 21:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

fortyplus · 26/07/2010 21:49

Re: painkillers after op - I felt totally fine and didn't need any. In fact I came home a few hours later and went out with dh the following evening - though I did take things easy for a couple of days just because it seemed sensible.

mizu · 27/07/2010 09:51

Ok, now I am concerned about what frankie3 has written, PMT getting worse?

My PMT is pretty bad. Don't want it to get worse.

OP posts:
cocolepew · 27/07/2010 09:58

I had the balloon method done 3 years ago and it has changed my life. I have no bleeding at all now, DH had the snip so I didn't need to worry about contraception. I was toldyou can't sustain a pregnancy because there is nowhere for the fertilzed egg to latch onto, but therefore it is dangerous to your health to get pregnant (IYSWIM? )

I never noticed any worsening of PMT, it is nowhere near as bad as it was.

Uluru · 27/07/2010 15:41

Has anyone also suffered from fibroids and had this done?

I've had both ea and hysterectomy mentioned as future courses of action. Although at the moment consultant is reluctant to do either as I've not had children. So they won't do anything to cure the heavy bleeding even though the fibroid that's making it worse means I can't get pregnant/stay pregnant anyway!

CarGirl · 27/07/2010 16:48

I remember a case in Australia where a woman had had her womb removed and then got pregnant as the embryo embedded into other internal organs, also many cases in the US of woman who have conceived after ablation and continued with risky pregnancies hence the need for contraception!

orangeflutie · 27/07/2010 17:23

Hi Cargirl hope I've not worried you too much when I said about needing strong painkillers for the first three days. I just thought it better that you should be prepared. I think the pain for me was probably caused by a bruised and swollen tummy from the laproscopy, plus soreness around stitches rather than the ablation itself. I was really grateful for my gynae being honest with me about any pain I was likely to experience, but everyone is different.

Good luck with everything xx

CarGirl · 27/07/2010 18:14

I reckon the pain will be from the sterlisation too, and yes I'd rather know that I will be on my death bed and in need of dh doing everything and me lovely to me, and possibly having to sleep on the sofa

I thing I'll be downing the arnica capsules beforehand!

orangeflutie · 27/07/2010 21:11

I think definitely make the most of dh Mine said he didn't realise quite how much I had to do!

fortyplus · 27/07/2010 22:49

mizu - apparently around 65% of women notice an improvement in PMT symptoms. I would say that I don't suffer at all now - though dh might not agree1

alibubbles · 28/07/2010 05:42

My history - all my life fro te age of 15 very heavy periods, given various drugs to reduce bleeding, mefanemic acid ( Ponstan) and Tranxemic acid too, thn Dixarit. The onto the pill at 17, but not sexually active yet!

Two DC a year apart. Sterilised when DS was 6 months old and then fell pregnant 3 months later, I had a termination, at 7 weeks, which they didn't do properly as I had retained products and bled profusely.

3 years later sterilised again, back to bleeding and flooding, I could stand in the shower every morning and the blood would just pour out of me, it look like a scene from Psycho.

Two super plus tampons plus a pad, and the tampons would fall out from the sheer weight of fluid. I wuld leave the house for the school run and 20 minutes later would have to shout to a mum from the car as i couldn't get out as I was flooding already and could.t get out of the car.

The consultant wouldn't do a hysterectomy as I was too young, so I had a Mirena put in.

put on 4 stone in 2 years and had the most horrendous PMT, but no periods, the side effects outweighed the benefits, so I had it removed, what a relief I felt!

BUT, back to bleeding again, so I invested in a mooncup, which was brilliant but had to empty it very very frequently and it would leak as too full.

This maybe TMI for some, but I arranged to see a consultant during my period, I removed my mooncup and showed him just how much blood there was, he couldn't believe it.

Result, I was booked in 2 days later for an EA, which at the time was only done privately or a long waiting list.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me. There is a straw coloured discharge for a few weeks, but no bleeding, no pain - honestly, and no after effects.NO bleeding since, and I can't tell when my LMP was so no idea when the menopause started!

I too, am very sick after a GA, that is my biggest fear, but warned them, and it was sorted. I wasn't sick or had a headache.

Go for it, you won't regret it!

Uluru · 28/07/2010 12:26

I must say I am tempted sometimes to fill a jar when emptying my mooncup and then produce that when they ask how heavy periods are.

It wasn't until I started using mine that I actually realised just how much I was losing, I always fell for the "it looks like much more than it is" line

alibubbles · 28/07/2010 12:30

Again TMI, it looked like lumps of uncooked liver, clots the size of tomatoes. I also fell for the line of it looks a lot more, until you actually measure it!

CarGirl · 28/07/2010 18:56
poppincandy · 28/07/2010 19:03

I had it done Feb 2009. Great from the bleeding point of view - I used to flood. Now get spotting for 2 days.

Contraception I had my tubes done whilst under, well thought what was the point of using alternative contraception if I'd had the womb lining removed.

Only downside I used to have 3 days of bad period cramps prior to bleeding, I still have 1 bad day that requires neurofen to get through the day, but that is all.

mizu · 28/07/2010 20:50

This all sounds pretty positive, I have rung the clinic but the secretary I need to speak to isn't in til next week so I didn't leave a message. Will call next week. Thanks for ALL the information, much appreciated.

OP posts:
without · 28/07/2010 23:47

I'm having mine done at the end of next month - somewhat retisant as I'm not good being not 100% and I have been told they may not be able to do it if my uterus is not the right shape (won't know until I'm under though)!

I posted a few weeks ago on anotehr thread and was told that recovery isn't as quick as people have said here - so I have booked a few days off work.

My biggest worry is that as I'm middle-aged and have been single for over a decade, that I'll feel even more unattractive and unfemale than I do once the procedure is done.

Good luck Miu

poppincandy · 29/07/2010 06:53

Without - I had the same concern re unattractive/unfemale, I can only say in my experience my looks have stayed the same , and because my hormones have been unaffected and remain the same I still feel feminine and more so as I don't have 2 weeks of blood pouring out of me every month.

orangeflutie · 29/07/2010 08:47

Ditto

CarGirl · 29/07/2010 16:14

Well I'm already sorting of mourning the end of my fertility, I would love another baby but not keen to do the toddler years again and my head knows no more dc but my heart is wistful.

I'm full of what if's but I'm hoping for some sort of liberation - no chance of accidental pregnancy, no more stopping to have sort out condoms etc.

It will also be wonderful to be able to exercise all month except a few days - at the moment I can't excersize for at least 5 days due to flooding etc so perhaps I'll feel more feminine afterwards?

orangeflutie · 29/07/2010 16:48

I know what you mean about fertility it's always nice to have the option. I think if my parents were closer, more money etc, then I might have had one more dc. However realistically three dds are probably enough and don't think I could've done the toddler years again either.

It's certainly better for me now each month, I still get a couple of heavy days but nothing like before. I really enjoy running and before the op was finding it really difficult to keep going with it as I lost so many days each month. I now have more energy aswell.

It's still early days and there is the possiblility in the future of having to have another operation, but hopefully that's a long way off.