Ablation and fibroids

Three years ago I had an ultrasound due to very heavy periods and a uterine polyp was shown. I was told to have surgery to remove it. I am in my late 40's and have been having heavy periods for years now. It seems to gradually get worse year after year after turning 40. I ended up having a D&C because there were little polyps everywhere. After surgery my first period was back to normal! I was so excited! Then the next month after that they were back to heavy bad!!

So the past three years it has been awful. I started taking Tranexmic Acid which does help some to reduce flow. I was also told by doctor to get an ablation. I would like to but I don't like being put to sleep. It took me a week to recover from anesthesia! 3 days after surgery I still could barely stand long enough to take a shower! Surgery wise I felt like I didn't even have surgery, it was the recovery from being put under (and its not even general either!)

I just had another ultrasound and was told I have fibroids and possible polyps now. MY options are
1. have a uterine biopsy done in office and then go from there
2. have fibroids and polyps removed in surgery.
3. have fibroids and polyps removed along with an ablation at the same time.
4. look into a hysterectomy.

Since I hate being put under I first told doctor I would do the biopsy. she told me to take 3 motrin and that its not that bad. So I went online and 95% of what I read about uterine biopsies is scary! most say there were screaming and they will NEVER do it again and can't belive they were not put under!!
So now i am thinking about just having the surgery and the ablation. Scheduling is just a pain with my work.

Any suggestions?
most seem happy with the ablation. I could finally have my life back. no more iron pills and being exhausted all the time from too much blood loss every month. but I did read something about if you have an ablation you have a better chance of having a hysterecomy later down the line and you can't have biopsies done in the future even if you need one because the lining is burnt out?
help

You have been having a rotten time of it.

I had a D&C late last year to see if anything was going on. Did the Tranexamic thing too. Luckily for me no growths so at the moment I am taking HRT and getting that adjusted on an ongoing basis. Fibroids and Polyps for you . Anesthesia is rotten for the effects and seems like your body doesn't cope with it well. Maybe for next time you could ask for a different type of anesthesia?


As for your options.....

1. Even if you do have a biopsy done in the office it won't be able to fix anything and you are still looking at having another procedure done.

2. Having the fibroids and polyps removed in surgery wont fix the bleeding.
3. Getting the F and P's removed with an ablation may be a short term fix but there is no guarantee that the bleeding wont come back. The ablation burns the lining so if there is any further abnormal growths their detection and identification is harder.

4. Have you discussed with the Gyn the possibility of having your uterus removed but but leaving the ovaries intact?

Lots to think about. Have you thought about getting a second opinion from another GYN?

I am thinking of doing the fibroid/polyp removal/d and c and not doing ablation. I have been reading things online about it. it does seem like a quick fix but can cause problems.
I NEVER want to have a hysterectomy unless I have cancer and HAVE to do it.
the biopsy seems kind of stupid since it is most likely benign and you can't guarantee the cells they pull out are even the cancerous ones anyway.
do you still take the tran acid?

I don't need to take the tranexamic acid anymore since the introduction of progesterone which I continue to take as advised by my gyn. Things seem to be petering out. Finally. Had another FHS blood test done today to see if menopause is anywhere in the offing. Might be nice considering I am 56.

Couldn't they take a biopsy when they are removing the fibroids and polyps? May as well get two jobs done if you have to be under anaesthetic?

You have really suffered through a lot. I didn’t do any of that stuff. I had the hysterectomy (kept my ovaries) and I was done with it all.

I had the D and C and biopsy. no cancer. I don't think I had polyps since doctor didnt say anything to me. The fibroids were shown in ultrasound but are in muscle so they can't be removed. they are small I guess. My periods are still heavy as ever! Its really only two days a month I have to worry about. I use the tran acid. it does work but sometimes it doesn't. I am 49 and still getting periods every 28 days. Last about 5 days. No cramps or anything. just noticing more headaches lately and pms is more like foggy head, dizzy sort of. I wonder how many more years of this????

I did not do ablation. Today i was almost in tears at work thinking why didn't I do it??

I am sorry that things are not as settled as you would like. No guarantee that the ablation would have fixed things.

It is really hard working out what to do when our bodies are in a state of flux. A couple of years ago my headaches morphed into extremely bad migraines which sent me to outpatients. After those my doctor took me off 'the pill' and the migraines seemed ease up. He told me that they didnt like ladies of my age to be on the pill because of the added complications like stroke and heart attack. Are you taking oral contraceptives?

Have you had your hormone levels checked? This will give your doctor a good understanding or whether you are approaching menopause or not. Heavy bleeding may cause havoc with our iron levels. Have you had your iron levels checked recently as this might also be the cause of a few issues for you.

Do you have a women's clinic to go to in your area so that you can get some advice and possibly a second opinion? I know it's lots of questions. I hope you can find something useful for you.

How many more years of this is a question that women have been asking for generations. We are all still waiting for an answer.