You listen to friends talk about their periods like they’re just minor inconveniences, and you're jealous because your experiences aren’t at all the same. Your life gets upended every month thanks to periods that come with heavy and abnormal bleeding that are far more than just a minor nuisance.
It might surprise you to know that you’re far from alone when it comes to heavy bleeding — the issue affects one in five women in the United States who have menstrual cycles.
While there are several ways we can address heavy bleeding, an endometrial ablation is one of the most effective. However, it isn’t for everybody.
To help you determine whether an endometrial ablation is right for your abnormal bleeding, Dr. Ulas Bozdogan and our team at Advanced Endometriosis Center pulled together a few points to consider.
Let’s first touch on what we consider to be heavy bleeding during your periods. Under normal circumstances, your periods should arrive every 21-35 days and last about 3-7 days. During each period, the average woman loses about 60 milliliters of blood, which amounts to about one and a half shot glasses of fluid.
Heavy bleeding is defined as anything more than 80 milliliters, as well as:
In extreme cases, women can develop anemia due to the heavier-than-normal blood loss.
If you want to wave goodbye to heavy bleeding once and for all, an endometrial ablation is a great option. During this procedure, we destroy the lining of your uterus, or endometrium, which should lighten, and even do away with your periods.
There are many different techniques we can use to perform an endometrial ablation utilizing different energies, such as heat, cold, electric, microwave, and radiofrequency. The result of each is the same, though — the innermost lining of your uterus is altered in such a way that you should no longer experience heavy bleeding.
And we perform most endometrial ablations in our offices on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home afterward.
One of the most important considerations when it comes to endometrial ablation is the fact that this procedure will effectively put an end to your ability to carry a pregnancy. So, if you’re sure you’re done with family building, this treatment is a good option.
Other factors that might exclude you from an endometrial ablation include:
As you can see, some of these issues are temporary, and you might just have to wait a little longer before undergoing an endometrial ablation. Other factors on this list may remove endometrial ablation from the equation entirely.
If you don’t see anything on this list that applies to you, the odds are good that an endometrial ablation is a viable path forward.
The best way to determine if you should consider an endometrial ablation to put an end to your heavy menstrual bleeding is to come see us for a comprehensive evaluation. To get that ball rolling, simply click here to schedule an appointment at one of our conveniently located offices in New York City or Paramus, New Jersey.
