Minimal invasive Treatment for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

Posted On: July 27, 2016

Think again before deciding on hysterectomy (removal of uterus)

Menorrhagia or heavy periods is a common disorder for many women, who are in their reproductive age. This significantly impacts their medical, social, economic, and psychological well-being

Causes:

The cause of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) is not known in the majority of cases, wherein no pelvic related problem is identified. However, HMB may occur due to:

• Fibroids
• Adenomyosis
• Polyps
• Infections
• Pre-Cancerous Conditions
• Haematological Disorders

Treatments

Medical Management in form of pills and injections are the usually offered first line of treatment to women.However, medical therapy may be fraught with side-effects, and symptoms of menorrhagia invariably return once therapy is stopped.

Surgical Treatment is usually offered to patients who do not respond to the drug treatment. Hysterectomy (removing the uterus ) is one of the treatments for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding that results in amenorrhoea (complete cessation of menstrual periods).

Things One Must Know Before Deciding On Hysterectomy

There are pre and postoperative complications, which includes :

• Incontinence and other urinary problems
• Fatigue
• Infection
• Pelvic Pain
• Sexual Problems
• Bleeding

Overall, 1 in 30 women suffers a major adverse event during or soon after the uterus removal surgery. Additionally, the procedure has a mortality rate of 0.4–1.1 per 1000 operations. Hysterectomy is costly and has significant resource implications, extended operating time and a hospital stay of up to 7 days after the operation. Complete recovery may occur in 1–3 months.

What is the Alternative?

NICE and The Royal College, UK (Internationally Accredited Organisations for Gynaecology) have recommended; Fluid-Filled Thermal Balloon Endometrial Ablation should be offered to a woman with heavy menstrual bleeding where medical management fails and surgery is being considered as an appropriate treatment option to manage to bleed.

Advantages of Fluid-Filled Thermal Balloon Endometrial Ablation:

1. Reduces chances of risk
2. Minimally Invasive Surgery
3. No incision
4. Takes  just a few minutes
5. Faster recovery
6. Bleeding gets stopped immediately

At Shalby Hospital, Thermal Ablation procedure, which is a minimally invasive technique has helped women seek relief from this common deterrent of their health. This technique is available only at very few centers across Gujarat.

By Dr. Mitali  Vasavada

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Shalby Hospitals