Anyone do endometrial ablation?

HopeWins

I was on the pill for the last few years due to really heavy/crampy periods. Went on the pill, which took care of it. Now that I have an ER 100% positive cancer, that's out the window. Anyone try ablation? My OB mentioned it as an option a couple years ago. Like I need another medical procedure... but getting my period for the first time since stopping the pill has me thinking I might need to do something.

Any thoughts/opinions/experiences welcome.

SummerAngel

I had a NovaSure ablation in 2008, one of the best decisions I've made! I had it done in the doctor's office with just valium and something for pain, don't remember what. It was super easy and done within a few minutes. I still have periods, after a fashion, but they're super light - almost nonexistent. One thing to know is that an ablation will eliminate heavy periods but everything else remains the same, so I'm not sure if your cramping will go away or not.

MBPooch

HopeWins - I had an ablation about 4 years ago and it was the BEST decision ever! The procedure is so easy and I haven't had a period since!

HopeWins

Wow... that's great to hear. Thank you both! I have to look into that when all the boob craziness is settled. I come from a long line of late menopausers, so I don't want to deal with another 10-15y of this.

cbass1313

I did about 12 years ago and it was the best decision I made no periods no cramps nothing. I was done having children and now postmenopausal at age 46. Good luck.

vampeyes

HopeWins - I would wait on your ablation if you can, to see what happens when you start Tamoxifen. I rarely have a period since starting Tamoxifen. Just a thought to save you another surgery. x

HopeWins

thanks for posting, glad this came up. I actually don't have to be on HT because I did a bmx, but i have a question about the procedure - did y'all do this under general anesthesia? I've read it's sometimes done with an epidural but I really don't want to do that. I have bad reactions to epidurals. I'm thinking I might want to coordinate and have it done during my DIEP revision, since I'll be under. Thoughts?

notarobot

i am typing this as I am sitting here,after changing my super plus tampon 28 times today, so far,super ultra maxipads changed at least 20 times today, bled thru my pants twice today just standing up from my desk. I dont sleep well because I am flooding the pads and am tring to not have to change and wash bedding twice a night... I had my ablation at 48, still had light periods afterwards, but a heck of a lot better than they were. managable.at 52, I was diagnosed with IDC in febuary of 2019. double mastectomy and tissue expanders put in in may..started letrozole end of july, surgery to replace expanders in sept. I got blood clots so had to be put on blood thinners. I have bled NON STOP since sept. 17th. dont think it's the blood thinners. tho i know it doesnt help. but your uterine lining does grow back if you have an ablation done too early in life. and it grows back scarred. its painful and I have lost all hope. please really read up on the ablation thing. my happiness was very short lived with the results of mine. I go to so many doctors, and i have an ob gyn appt ..at the end of november. earliest they could see me. I dont think Ill make it til then. emergency room? yeah..with the cancer and the surgeries ,no er doc in their right mind would take on actually STOPPING the bleeding. they just tell me to call my primary care doc, who refers me to my onco doc, who refers me to see the ob gyn.. who says..well go to the er. might as well just stop trying . sorry, Im very frustrated and scared. please really read about the ablation, this was the last thing I needed right now.

p.s. doing an ablation or any other procedure during your diep flap is a BIG NO as far as I see it ,but Im not a doctor. you need every bit of your body concentrating on making the blood flow and germ and infection fighting power to make sure your diep survives. I would be worried if my doctor even entertained the thought of doing both at the same surgery.

SummerAngel

HopeWins, I had my ablation in the office, no epidural or general. I took a Valium and some sort of pain med (can't remember, but I'm pretty sure it was in the oxy family). Zero pain but a very weird experience because of the noise and the feeling of the machine doing its job. The doctor told me that a lot of his patients insist on a general or twilight anesthesia for it but it was really no problem for me and he said he preferred doing them in office if the patient was up for it.

As for this, "...our uterine lining does grow back if you have an ablation done too early in life." I would like to see studies showing that this is a problem. I had my ablation in 2008 and am now 50 and still premenopausal and have no issues. Like I said, very light periods.

HopeWins

notarobot... omg, I'm so sorry you're dealing with that. I've never had anything like that. My DIEP is done, so my future surgeries will be scar revisions and fat transfer. I'm certainly considering whether it's worth it. Thanks for sharing your experience and I hope you get some relief hon

notarobot

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-consider-potential-risks-associated-with-endometrial-ablation/

I am not a doctor, I believe is what I said. but there are many studies that show that the younger you are, the more opportunity there are for complications. I am not knocking anything that happens to work for someone. I shouldnt of used the definitive term " it does grow back" my apologies. Im sure it doesnt happen in every case, but it DOES happen in some. like mine. some women NEVER have a period again.

I wish I had read alot more,been told a lot more about the "could happens" I'd of just gone for the hysterectomy. instead of going for it now while I am fighting breast cancer. I am very,very happy yours worked out for you Summer angel.

I was very distraught, tired and in a LOT of pain last night, when I wrote my post , so I should of worded my feelings better. for that I apologize.

everyone has different outcomes with different treatments. I was just trying to share MY outcome and what Ive read. Thats not the only article I read that on either. I will post the others as soon as I find them again.

oh, and I also spent 12 hours at the hospital today, having blood work, internal ultrasound, exams.. and yep my endrometrial lining has been regenerating along with the fibroid they "took care of " a few years back. hence the huge jelly fish like clots and the little burned looking little bits.(sorry for being gross) the massive amount of bleeding and childbirth like cramps.

notarobot

Hopewins ,I really hope you get some relief too. I am sorry if my sharing scared you off. Like I said some things work awesome for some, sometimes its not so great. I just wanted to share a not so great side, to encourage you to really read the fine print ,so to speak. I was NOT informed that anything like what I m dealing with now was a possibility. Good luck and my prayers are with you.

SummerAngel

Notarobot, thank you for posting that link, it was very informative! My tone sometimes comes off rather harshly online. I'm a matter-of-fact kind of person, and that wasn't my intention. I am definitely glad I haven't had any issues, too, and I'm sorry you have! I did have my ablation under 40 and had a tubal at 30, so I have two out of the 3 risk factors for a later hysterectomy. Of course, the article didn't say whether those who later had a hysterectomy did so because of abnormal bleeding or other issues (specifically continued significant menstrual pain). I would guess that a good number had continued pain, as an ablation does not change anything except bleeding.

MBPooch

I had my ablation in my GYN's office under twilight. I was only out for about 10 min. the procedure itself is only a couple minutes. Recovery was so easy and I've never gotten my period since.

notarobot

we are all different, no doubt. I just wanted the young lady to look at every aspect of the treatment she was being suggested to having. I went in with sunshine and rainbows of getting rid of the horrible periods I have had for DECADES, ended up with "normal periods" after that, which to tell you the truth, I was HAPPY that I could go a day without bleeding thru my pants, or get at least 4 hours of sleep and not bleeding out all over my sheets.

the fact that I have/ am fighting breast cancer that IS ER positive does make a difference. and I truly regret not just having the hysterectomy done years ago. Id rather deal with hot flashes any day... and YES, OMG, Ive had the hot flashes.

Summer Angel, I think we are all here to help one another get thru this ,whatever part of the journey we are on.. the written word is all in how your mood is when you read it. I dont think anyone is here to be mean, or judgmental , lets just help each other.

Caschurr

I am not sure if my situation will be of any help to you, but thought it is worth mentioning... I had a uterine ablation 6 months after the birth of my last son... I bleed till I was anemic. Started the day of his birth until a week or 2 after I had the ablation. (Almost 7 months straight of moderate to heavy bleeding) I was 32 at the time..38 now. For a few years after the procedure I did have very light periods every month, maybe 3-4 days of light bleeding, but they were always prolonged by non stop spotting for another week or so after. It has progressively worsened these last couple years to a more moderate flow for 10-15 days every 21 days.. often with breakthrough spotting on the 6 days I wasn't bleeding moderately. I've always had fluctuations in Hormone levels, but once I was done having kids no doctor seemed to care much about my hormones and I tried hard to ignore my symptoms too!! So 6 years post ablation I was back with full blown, prolonged periods, and a bunch of other issues which revealed estrogen dominance. My body is not producing nearly any progesterone. Unfortunately, No progesterone to counter act estrogen has recked havoc within my body, the breast and gyn oncologist’s have it listed as “estrogen excess”, I assume no different than someone taking extra estrogen hormones, its been determined my high circulating levels of estrogen is what caused my uterine lining to regenerate, plus growth of another uterine fibroid. I was started on 200 mg of progesterone nightly to see if I could hold off on a hysterectomy until my youngest started kindergarten....it did work pretty well over the last 8 ish months. My bleeding stopped almost immediately! Only was having a day or 2 per month of spotting...and maybe 3 months out of the 8 I'd have a few days to week of a very light period. I wish I could continue, but since then changes and pre-cancers have been found in my breasts. Thanks again to the many years that my estrogen had the upper hand. Therefore, now I have no choice, I will be having a total hysterectomy..including both ovaries. Boo!! I am not sure if your doc would entertain the idea of checking hormones to see if progesterone would help, maybe just short term to get you some “extra" time or not. I know in my case, I can not continue regardless of how low the risk is of having a precancer becoming a cancer, due to a connective tissue disorder leaving me with only surgical options...without the use of any radiation ever and chemo only if it's a last resort. Stinks. On a side note, my sister in law had an ablation around the same time I did.. age 32, she has had no problems and no periods since! She also never had any history of hormonal imbalance either. My mother had one around age 40... 20 years later, no problems for her either! No history of hormone imbalances for her either, but she does have same connective tissue disorder.Sending you all my best thoughts and prayers

HopeWins

that's very interesting. Thanks for sharing. My cancer was 100% ER+, but PR- I was on the pill when I was diagnosed. I think I'm a little skittish introducing progesterone to my body even though my cancer was PR- and I had a bmx. Idk, I just feel like the pill had a lot to do with my cancer. It would be good to know my hormone situation though. I have chronic sinus headaches every month with my period. I suspect I have polyps and the hormone fluctuations affect them. They were much worse when I was on the pill. A little better now, but its unpredictable.

SiameseX2

I am looking into ablation as well, my doctor mentioned this as an option today. Even though I went off Tamoxifen in June 2018, an endometrial polyp developed a few months later (seen on ultrasound). It was very small, but by now its largest dimension is 1.5cm. I am now getting extra heavy bleeding with my period, so bad I've had to miss work. Now there is a second smaller polyp.

Next step is the ultrasound where they fill your uterus with saline. And then probably hysteroscopy.