I am 32 and I had an endometrial ablation performed in February 2000 for excessive menstrual bleeding. Here is my story:

My problems began in the early Spring of 1998. Menstruation, as I knew it, had changed for the worst. I was having cramps...and I experienced no menstrual cramps since I was 12 years old! I thought that was odd, and I took some Tylenol® and it did manage the pain well. That period was heavy with clotting and it lasted for two weeks. I knew that was an abnormal period and I made an appointment with my ob/gyn.

My next period was the first of the heavy floods. It lasted long and it was painful for the first few days, but again, a few Tylenol® took the pain away. The pain has never been anything I could not bear--{Thank God}--the bleeding was way too much for me. With each cycle the pain varied, some months my cramps were severe, but a heating pad and two Tylenol® took care of the pain for the most part.

I saw my ob/gyn, she said maybe I had a bit of a hormonal imbalance, and she told me to wait it out a few more cycles. I did. It stayed the same, I went back to see her and she offered me the pill. I always had problems with BCP's but I was going to consider it. I asked her to do further testing and she said it wasn't necessary.
Enter Doc #2:

He told me he would have me get an abdominal and a transvaginal ultrasound. I did it. It came back with a suspicious mass that was seen in the lower segment of my uterus, or in my cervix. It was only seen in some of the images so he called me and told me to come right in. I did. He said I had a fibroid and he wanted to do an endometrial biopsy, a laparoscopy, a myomectomy and an endometrial ablation! I told him I was going to go to my family doctor for a second opinion. This doctor had no compassion and I did not feel he knew what he was talking about. He got aggravated by any questions and he seemed way too 'surgery happy'. I didn't walk out of there, I ran!
Enter Doc #3:

This is my family doctor and he has been my doctor since I was 11 years old but he is not an ob/gyn specialist but he does some GYN work. He said, "The suspicious mass that was seen on some of the images of the abdominal ultrasound is 'probably just a shadow', but it might be a polyp so let's do a D&C and if it is a polyp we can just 'scrape it away'." He looked over the ultrasound himself as he said the doctor that read the ultrasound tended to 'overread'. He did not feel this was a fibroid.

I had him do the D&C. My periods got much worse after the D&C. I was not having periods anymore, I was hemorrhaging. I could not go to sleep for two nights straight because I had to be awake as that was the only way I could keep up with the blood loss. He recommended I see yet another ob/gyn as this problem was beyond the scope of his expertise. He is a dear kind man and he is still my family doctor. ;)
Enter Doc #4:

She said let's just try the pill and against my better judgment, I took it for five months and my period was so light it was wonderful, however, the pill caused me to have unbearable side effects so I had to stop taking it. My periods came back as bad as ever when I stopped taking the pill. This doctor did a saline infused sonogram and a hysteroscopy and she found no abnormalities on the uterine lining like polyps or fibroids. She wanted me to get an MRI to see if I had adenomyosis and if it was confirmed that I did she would do a hysterectomy. If it was not confirmed she would do an endometrial ablation and if it failed, she would know the MRI missed the adenomyosis and she would do a hysterectomy.

I didn't want to have an MRI as at that point as I was 'tested out'. I had been through enough tests and I just wanted an end to this already! So, she said, "Okay, no MRI, let's do an endometrial ablation." I wasn't too sure about that approach. I truly wanted a guaranteed cure I would never bleed again and I knew the endometrial ablation could not make this guarantee. I did a lot of research on endometrial ablation and I talked with a few women that had one performed. I also did hysterectomy research and I talked with women that elected to go that route. I thought about it and I made a decision and I asked her for a hysterectomy. She said, "No way, not without a failed endometrial ablation!" I certainly did not want to go through a surgery only for it to fail and then have to have a hysterectomy anyway! I did not appreciate the fact that she did not allow me to make this choice for my health. It was my body and I certainly would never go into major surgery lightly! I tried alternatives and I was not living a good quality of life. I just could not live with the bleeding and the flooding and the clots anymore and be homebound every month for several days and lose two nights of sleep and have two week long periods! I had to plan my life around my period. No woman should have to live that way!
Enter Doc #5:

He said, "Yes I will do a TVH (Total Vaginal Hysterectomy) on you, but I recommend the endometrial ablation." I said, "Nope, let's do a hysterectomy, I want my life back!" We set the surgery up, I went through pre-op, I got ready and I went in for it, but at the last second at the hospital I could not do it despite my fight for it. I sat up and said to my doctor, "Let's try that endometrial ablation." I felt so ashamed and embarrassed that I backed out of the hysterectomy, especially because I insisted on it. I believe now that the reason I did back out of the hysterectomy was because I did have one alternative left ~the endometrial ablation~ and it is always smart to try all of your alternative treatment options before undergoing something as major as a hysterectomy. I never wanted the endometrial ablation, but it sure looked good to me as I was being wheeled down to the OR, hence my reason for canceling my hysterectomy that day!

I had a balloon ablation performed {Thermachoice Uterine Balloon Therapy} in February 2000 and now I am in the 'wait and see' process to see if it was successful. The procedure was outpatient and I was completely recovered in about three days. The ablation literature I had said to expect mild to moderate cramping afterwards, but, for me, it was pretty severe cramping. I don't want to scare anyone, but if someone were to have told me that severe pain was to be expected, I believe I could have prepared myself for that. I got really scared thinking that something must be wrong or I wouldn't feel as bad as I did. I was told, after the fact, that some women do experience the pain level that I was at and that it would pass within twelve hours, and it did. Twelve hours of on and off again severe cramping to get rid of hemorrhage type bleeding was well worth it for me. ;) The medication that worked the best for me at relieving those cramps was Motrin®. I was told by my doctor that Motrin® has something in it that counteracts the uterine contractions, and he was right. As soon as I took a Motrin® and it kicked in, 85% of the pain was relieved, and within twelve hours, it was completely gone.

No cause was ever found on me for all that bleeding, no polyps, no fibroids...I don't know why I went from normal light periods for years to excessive bleeding. It truly baffles me! I wish they had some "quick fix" for this instead of the wait and see approach, hormones, test after test after test, and minor surgeries. Maybe someday in the future they will, but for now we have some options we can try before having to resort to a hysterectomy.

So, that is my story. It is long, but I didn't want to leave anything out. I wanted to present the "whole picture" in my battle with this in hopes that this will help women that are going through the same thing to know that they are not alone in this. Most people do not understand this, unless they lived it. I can relate well as I lived it and it is not easy to go through as it is frightening, draining, and it takes away the quality of our lives! Our situations will not be exactly the same, but the bottom line is, this is truly a debilitating problem to live.

Thanks for reading my story, if you would like to share your own situation, please feel free to do so in the Discussion Forums on this Site. This Site is all about women helping women support, and I hope you will find that here, as well as the information you are seeking and the feeling of being understood by women that relate to these issues.

Update ~ December 2001

This page was written in April 2000, I am now almost two years post endometrial ablation. The endometrial ablation did work, however, I do have some odd cycles in that I bleed too many days per month, I get clotting some cycles, and some of my periods are heavier. My PMS has changed ever since I had the endometrial ablation performed - it is severe each month now. There is no medical proof that the endometrial ablation caused the severe PMS, so please don’t let that scare you. Despite these little bumps I have had along the way - I have NO regrets as the endometrial ablation did lighten my bleeding A LOT. :) I would recommend this procedure to any woman who is a good candidate for it and whose doctor recommended it to her. :)

I did attempt another hysterectomy in April 2001 - but AGAIN - I just could not do it! :( How embarrassed was I? :( I did try, and I think the reason I could not do it again was because "I" was the one electing it again, verses THE DOCTOR recommending it to me...that is hard to have on one's shoulders, at least for me it was.

The ultrasounds I had in 1999, the abdominal U/S showed a mass that was chalked up to a shadow, well, that ‘shadow’ was NOT merely a shadow after all as I just this month had the abdominal and the transvaginal ultrasounds repeated and I have intramural fibroids! I really feel it is the fibroids that gave me the ‘not so perfect’ ablation result, ESP with the endometrial ablation method I had performed: THERMACHOICE Uterine Balloon Therapy System. The fibroids presence did not allow for a deep enough ablation of the endometrium. Even a small irregularity can cause a not so perfect adherence of the balloon to the uterine cavity. GyneCare - the company that makes the THERMACHOICE Uterine Balloon Therapy System - they don't even recommend that women with fibroids have their method, but when I had it performed, I was under the assumption that I did not have fibroids. All of the doctor's I saw looked at that U/S report and they did NOT make it out to be a big deal at all.

My plan now is to see a new GYN for a repeat pap as my last two were abnormal, to get an MRI, to get my hormonal imbalance ‘balanced’ and to perhaps try another endometrial ablation – maybe the laser or the rollerball method, or just have a hysterectomy, ONLY IF it is recommended to me. I came this far - if I can avoid it - I WILL. :)

Update ~ August 2002

Wow it has been a while since I last updated this page. A lot has happened in my life these past several months. As far as my female health goes - all is well. :) I have not had my repap or my annual or any testing done...yet. I plan on getting that done soon. I was told I need to repeat the ultrasounds to keep an eye on the fibroid issue - so I did have a better tech do my last two and it showed all sorts of things - but it showed that I have only ONE fibroid...and it showed that fibroid to be degenerating - dying. I was told it is the size of a quarter and it should not cause ANY symptoms as it is dying! :) I have not had any symptoms whatsoever from it.

I have had great periods - light and short, well about 6-7 days. ;) My PMS is still all over the place - but I accepted it, and I just live with it. It did seem to take on a different pattern - it does not start AS SOON as it was - but most months it is very early.

I have been getting cramps w/my periods - just two cycles now. The first month they were pretty awful - the next month they were mild - but I sure did feel it. I don't have a clue what this means - but it has NOT changed my flow - so I am not complaining. It is just odd as I never had cramps after my endometrial ablation - until the last few cycles.

I have come to a very peaceful place with my endometrial ablation result and I did it with the help of my best friend - she taught me to take each period in small baby steps - to make myself do things vs. sitting there dwelling on every single aspect of each period. It was HARD - as I was SO traumatized by the pre-endometrial ablation flow I used to get and I analyzed EVERY DROP of blood TO DEATH...I analyzed the entire endometrial ablation TO DEATH...I am so over analyzing everything to death - I don't have the time nor the desire for that matter to be that way any longer...it was not intentional on my part...it was psychological from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) I really used to think I was bleeding to death - I lost that much blood during my periods - and it was SO traumatizing to me - but - I closed that chapter and let it heal and I have been doing great - thank God. :) I even do things during my 'heavy' days now - I never used to MOVE...I was too afraid...now I just go about my business and ignore my periods - the endometrial ablation gave me the ability to do that. It always did - but I could never 'see' that, until recently.

So...that is my update. By the time I get around to my next one I should have my repap done, my annual done, my ultrasounds done, and perhaps know more about my fibroid - I hope it is dead and dissolved as I do not want to have surgery and I do not want it to grow and cause symptoms...I am hopeful it is all OK. ;)

Update ~ August 2004

WOW, it has been so long since I last updated my progress with my endometrial ablation! All is going very well. My periods are ultra-light now - even lighter then they ever were!! I don't understand it, but I am certainly NOT complaining! (smile)

I have several fibroids. I get two ultrasounds per year to keep an eye on them. The fibroids are not suspected to be the cause of my pre-ablation bleeding.

My pap tests have been normal - the menstrual cramps are almost non-existant, and all is right with my world. (BIG smile) I would HIGHLY recommend this procedure to any woman who is a good candidate for it and whose doctor recommended it to her. :)

Update ~ August 2006

WOW, again it has been so long since I last updated my progress with my endometrial ablation! All is still going very well! (smile) It will be SEVEN years in February 2007 since I had my endometrial ablation performed!! Time flies!! I am so happy and so grateful that it is STILL working SO WELL for me. :)

I still have several fibroids. I get one ultrasound per year to keep an eye on them.

My pap tests have been normal and I had my first mammogram last year. That too was normal. :)

I would still HIGHLY recommend this procedure to any woman who is a good candidate for it and whose doctor recommended it to her. :)