Sometimes a certain part of your body becomes more of a liability than an asset, and your endometrium (the lining of your uterus) can fit the bill. The good news is that we have a solution with endometrial ablation, though the procedure isn’t for everyone.
To help determine whether a minimally invasive endometrial ablation can restore your health and your quality of life, you should visit with Dr. Fernando Otero and our team here at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley.
Before you come in, however, we thought we’d take this opportunity to discuss who makes an ideal candidate for endometrial ablation.
Your endometrium is the tissue that lines your uterus, and it’s responsible for your menstrual cycles, among other things. When there are problems with this tissue that can’t be remedied through medications, we can remove it using a technique called endometrial ablation.
To perform the procedure, we typically go in through your vagina and cervix so that we don’t have to make any incisions. The ablation itself lasts only minutes, and rest assured, we make you comfortable beforehand with an anesthetic. Afterward we ensure that the procedure went smoothly, and then you’re free to return home.
You may feel some cramping and experience some bleeding and/or watery discharge in the days following your endometrial ablation, but this is to be expected. You should also refrain from intercourse and tampon use for several days after your procedure.
Now that we’ve explained what the goal of an endometrial ablation is and how we perform it, let’s take a look at who can benefit from this procedure.
In most cases, we turn to an endometrial ablation if you suffer from heavy periods, which is medically known as menorrhagia. By heavy periods, we mean that you soak through tampons and pads every hour, you need to change your tampon or pad at night, and/or your period lasts longer than seven days.
In severe cases, this type of heavy bleeding can lead to anemia, especially if you’re passing blood clots that are larger than the size of a quarter.
Endometrial ablation also works well for those who have abnormal uterine bleeding, which means you bleed outside of your monthly cycles.
It’s important to note that not only does an endometrial ablation reduce or eliminate your menstrual bleeding, it also puts an end to your ability to safely have children, so you should be sure that your childbearing years are in the rearview mirror.
If you have more questions about an endometrial ablation and whether the procedure is right for you, we invite you to contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas.
