Endometrial ablations are one of my favorite in-office procedures to treat heavy periods. They can be a truly life-changing treatment and so it saddens me that patients aren't more familiar with them. So, in this post, I’ll be shedding light on the awesomeness of endometrial ablations and why I think more women should be clamoring for one.
1. Ablations are a quick & easy procedure
If the Kentucky Derby is the greatest two minutes in sports, an endometrial ablation is the greatest two minutes in gynecology. No joke, the Minerva ablation process itself takes 120 seconds (2 minutes). I marvel at the fact that for women suffering from heavy periods, their lives can be so drastically improved in a ridiculously short amount of time. Now, the *entire* procedure start to finish is more like 20-30 minutes, but still - that's still a relatively quick treatment.
2. Ablations require little down time
The recovery for ablations is about as easy at it gets. You can be back to work in the next 1-2 days. Most women experience cramping, nausea, and spotting or discharge but most of the discomfort is generally tolerable with ibuprofen. Compared to a hysterectomy which is anywhere from 4-8 weeks of full recovery, ablation has way less of a post-op time commitment. There are no lifting restrictions either - but if you want to tell your spouse he has to take the kids and carry in groceries while you recover then I fully support that.
3. There are no incisions with ablations (heck yes for no scars!)
There are no abdominal or vaginal incisions needed for an ablation, hence why it has such a quick recovery time. The inside of the uterus (the endometrial lining) is what is treated during this procedure.
4. Ablations will NOT affect your hormones and it will NOT cause menopause
I get this question *all the time* when discussing ablation with my patients. Many women are worried if their period goes away that means they’re in menopause. Absolutely not; that’s not how it works. Menopause is caused by your ovaries no longer functioning and producing hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone). Ablations treat the uterine lining and do not go anywhere near the ovaries. Therefore, you will keep producing hormones and not go into menopause until it’s your time (which, for the record, the average age of menopause is 51 years old).
Ablation is a non-hormonal method to treat heavy periods, compared to IUDs, birth control pills, progesterone, etc. which are all hormonal ways to treat this condition. So, it’s a great option for women who react poorly to hormones, cannot take hormones, or simply do not want to take hormones (which I find very true of my 40+ crowd and I totally get it).
5. High success rates - hurray for no more heavy periods!
With the Minerva ablation, at 1 year after the procedure, 72% of women reported amenorrhea (no period at all) and 93% had lighter menses (treatment success). I’d say that checks out in my own clinic and following up with my patients.
The fine print
You must be done with childbearing to be considered for an ablation. And you need to be on a reliable form of birth control, such as tubal ligation, parter with vasectomy, birth control pills, etc.
You cannot have an ablation with an IUD in place, however there are certain types of ablation that allow women to have their IUD placed back in the uterus post-procedure. You can have a tubal ligation done at the same time as an ablation and I have found this popular option is typically covered by most insurance.
Ablation is NOT a birth control! Pregnancy is contraindicated (medical speak for DO NOT DO IT!) after an ablation. You can see why - a pregnancy implants in the uterine lining. If you are effectively “destroying” (ablating) the uterine lining, the baby’s home, then that doesn’t sound very good for a healthy pregnant, does it? Pregnancy after ablation can result in miscarriage, growth restrictions, preterm birth. All bad complications which is why we take this discussion so seriously.
The risks of ablation are low but do include thermal injury, perforation, and infection. The procedure could fail to work in a very small percentage of women (meaning, no improvement in menstrual cycles).
If you're in DFW, come see me in clinic if you want to learn if endometrial ablation is right for you. I'm here to make your period-free dreams come true! XO, Dr. Means