If you are tired of your menstrual cycle
interrupting your life, contact us or give our office a call

Heavy menstrual cycles or "Menorrhagia" is a term used for excessive bleeding during menstruation. Menorrhagia occurs in 1 of 5 women in the United States and is not always due to uterine fibroids, benign tumors that develop in the wall of the uterus. Defining heavy menstrual cycles varies, however if you are experiencing any or all of the below symptoms, you could consider your menstrual cycles excessive:

Menstrual flow that soaks through one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several consecutive hours

The need to use double sanitary protection to control your menstrual flow .

The need to change sanitary protection during the night

Menstrual period that lasts longer than 7 days

Heavy menstrual period that includes large blood clots (which can be caused by fibroids)

Heavy menstrual flow that interferes with your regular lifestyle

There are several treatment options available including Novasure and Balloon Ablation, however we recommend Hydrothermal Ablation (HTA). In the past hysterectomy was the only effective treatment option for heavy menstrual cycles, especially for women with uterine fibroids. Hydrothermal Ablation is a less invasive, safer and effective treatment option for women, often making hysterectomy unnecessary as a treatment for heavy menstrual periods. We offer Hydrothermal Ablation as a same day procedure performed in our office in many instances, or it can be done in a surgery center. Hydrothermal Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure because it uses heated water, which safely destroys the endometrium (the lining of the uterus that is shed each month). Unlike Novasure or Balloon Ablation, Hydrothermal Ablation allows direct visualization of the inner part of the uterus during, increasing your safety during the procedure. We consider Hydrothermal Ablation to be superior to Novasure or Balloon Ablation, which both have limitations in unusually shaped, enlarged or small uterine cavities. Using low pressure, the water system safely heats up and destroys the endometrium with direct contact of water to the uterine lining. Hydrothermal Ablation takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Women with fibroids can also use Hydrothermal Ablation because fibroids that are located inside the inner uterus are destroyed by the heated water. In comparison to Novasure and Balloon Ablation, Hydrothermal Ablation had the highest chance of not having a menses after the procedure is performed. Minimal anesthesia is required and most women resume normal activities in 2-3 days, unlike hysterectomy which is a major surgery and requires 6 to 8 weeks to return to normal activities. Hydrothermal Ablation is not recommended for women who desire to have more children and is not a substitute for birth control.

In one study 22 women were followed 12-20 months after the procedure was performed. 54% of them were no longer having periods, 23% had significantly lighter menstrual cycles,14% reported normal menstrual cycles. There was an overall success rate of 91%. It is for this reason that we recommend Hydrothermal Ablation to our patients. We highly recommended that women at least consider Hydrothermal Ablation as a less invasive and effective treatment option compared to hysterectomy for the treatment of heavy menstrual periods.

If you are tired of your heavy menstrual periods interrupting your life, give our office a call and come and discuss the appropriate treatment for you. We will discuss all potential and suitable options that give you back the control you need for that time of the month.