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Treatment Options
Drug Therapy, such as low-dose birth control pills or other hormones, is frequently prescribed for excessive bleeding caused by hormonal imbalance. It is often used by women who wish to retain their fertility and can be effective in decreasing bleeding without the need for surgery. Repeated long-term dosing is usually required. Minor side effects are common and may include headache, breast tenderness and weight gain. Major complications are rare.
Uterine Balloon Therapy is used in a simple outpatient procedure to reduce excessive menstrual bleeding. Unlike hysterectomy, the treatment just destroys the lining of the uterus by the use of heat.
To be a candidate for uterine balloon therapy, your doctor must rule out abnormal uterine conditions such as fibroids, and your Pap smear and biopsy must be normal. This is not a treatment for uterine cancer.
Women who still want to have children are not candidates for The GYNECARE THERMACHOICE Uterine Balloon Therapy System.
To learn more about GYNECARE THERMACHOICE Uterine Balloon Therapy, click here.
Dilation and Curettage (D&C) is often the first surgical step if drug therapy fails. The top layer of the uterine lining is scraped away, which may reduce bleeding, but usually for only a few cycles. D&C is typically performed in an outpatient surgery setting under general anesthesia. If a polyp (small growth) in your uterus is removed during D&C, your problem may be corrected.
Hysteroscopic Endometrial Ablation destroys and removes the uterine lining with an electrosurgical instrument or laser. The procedure may be performed under local general or regional anesthesia, and involves an instrument used to view the uterus called a hysteroscope and an energy source that is inserted through the hysteroscope into the uterus. The procedure usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, and most women return to work in 2 to 3 days. This method will reduce heavy bleeding approximately 85% of the time, resulting in light or normal periods in some patients and elimination of bleeding in others. Risks may include accidental uterine perforation, bleeding, infection or heart failure due to the quantity of fluids used during the procedure.
Hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, provides a cure for excessive bleeding. It is major surgery and is usually performed under regional or general anesthesia. Several days in the hospital and up to 6 weeks of recovery time are most common. Do you want to learn more about hysterectomies?
You'll learn what questions to ask your doctor, and find out about the causes of excessive bleeding. You also can explore your treatment options, including uterine balloon therapy, a simple outpatient procedure to reduce excessive menstrual bleeding by removing the lining of the uterus using heat. You may also request a list of doctors in your area who treat excessive menstrual bleeding with uterine balloon therapy.
Things to consider
As you and your doctor discuss your treatment options, you'll want to consider:
How treatment will affect your current or future fertility (ability to have children)
How much time off from work you'll need
Whether or not a particular therapy requires multiple treatments
Other side effects of treatment
When to Call Your Doctor
In general, if you need to change your pad or tampon every hour, your bleeding may be unusually heavy. For many women, heavy bleeding is only temporary. For others, heavy bleeding may be a symptom of another medical condition. Talk to your doctor to find the cause of your bleeding and determine the right treatment for you. Your doctor will take a thorough history and may perform tests that provide information about the lining of your uterus.
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