Periods from H*ll, Considering Novasure

Fibroids....fibroids... And did I mention fibroids? If you haven't had an ultrasound of the uterus yet, your doctor has missed the boat. If thyroid is good, hormones are in check, and everything else is turning up normal then I'm willing to bet that fibroids are the cause of this mayhem. I do not have fibroids but my mother did and everything you are telling us here is identical to what she went through. She would soak through a tampon coupled with a pad in less than an hour at times. One day I was with her shopping and she bled so badly that I had to stop at Wal-Mart to buy a huge towel to put on the seat of my car because she bled through all her protection and also through her clothes. I wanted to take her to the emergency room but she wouldn't let me do it. Soon after, she went back to the OB/GYN and lo and behold, she had numerous fibroids. Hers were so large and problematic that a hysterectomy was necessary. She now says it was the best surgery she has ever had and the best choice she ever made to do it. No more pain, cramping, and best of all.....no more floods! Please look into fibroids as a possible cause for your problem. They are so common and there are several treatments that can help you if you have them. Not everything results in a hysterectomy. That was just the best choice for my M. at the point she was at in her life. Definitely get another opinion and look into this. You don't need to put up with this anymore!

I had periods like yours and had Novasure seven years ago to stop them. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I had some cramping and spotting for a few days after, but nothing compared to the cramps I had before. Since then, no periods, no PMS, and no chance of getting pregnant. TRIFECTA!

I had it done almost a year ago. I have had no periods since. It is WONDERFUL. (The statistics say that after 3 months you know where you will be, 50% will have no period, 40% will have more manageable, and 10% will not see much change (although, I am not sure how that works...) )
I was awake for the procedure, which was mostly OK (good drugs, but not totally fun). Recovery was not a problem.
I went from bleeding through everything about one day a month, to not having to think about it. Totally awesome, and life changing. :)
Do note that it is NOT birthcontrol - as you still ovulate - so you can still get pregnant. My doc required some other form of BC (hubby is snipped). The problem is that you could still get pregnant, but it would be non-viable (due to no uterine wall support for baby) and HIGHLY dangerous for M..
PM me if you have other questions. :)

Had it done 3 yrs ago, best thing ever! I was going thru perimenopause & not only were my periods really heavy & REALLY painful, they didn't seem to ever end! For a couple of years the time between periods was rarely more than 2 weeks. And I had always been pretty regular & only PMS nuts a couple times a year.

They 1st prescribed the pill & it just made me INSANE, it was like an Alien had taken over my emotions & thoughts. Between the sleep deprivation, the non-stop PMS & the general stress of life, I was beyond hormonal, I was close to commit-able to the psych ward. Not an exaggeration, my family wondered where I had gone! I wondered too! It took me almost a year to put 2 + 2 together, that the "cure" was worse than the problem. I eventually took myself off the pill, waited a couple of months, kept a log of the period issues & then went to someone who would listen to me. After the tests to rule out any other problems, I had the ablation. We have Kaiser & they did a fantastic job.

The surgery went great, I didn't have any pain (it was certainly less than I was used to with cramps) & I never bled again. Because I am close to menopause, I had my hormonal levels checked & I'm just about "through" menopause. Since the definition of menopause is NO periods for a year, I can't tell that I'm there yet. So I am still ovulating occasionally. Hubby's snipped, so I am not worried about getting pregnant @ 52! And I use bio-identical hormonal supplements to help with the few menopause symptoms that I still have.

One thing to think about, some doctors don't tell you, but your uterus is holding up your vagina walls & if they take out your uterus, most women end up with bladder control issues & vagina issues--like your vaginal walls caving in. If the choice is ablation or hysterectomy, choose the ablation. My SIL didn't, wasn't told WHY keeping your uterus is important to your "plumbing" & has had NOTHING but trouble since her hysterectomy 5 yrs ago. And sex is pretty hard to have if your vaginal walls are collapsed! Sorry, TMI, but she had NO idea when she had her hysterectomy that changing her insides so radically would lead to the problems she lives with daily now. So, do your research, ladies! take care

It depends if you are done having kids or not on what you do.I had the Novasure type of ablation. I had the NovaSure type done in 2008. It is the radio frequency type. I have not have a period since then, or any PMS or a menstrual migraine headache.I also have not had the pain of ovulating. I did ask my doctor about the migraines and ovulation pain,he said everything is still working,but didn't know why the symptoms stopped. I do not regret it one bit since all my other symptoms stopped too.
It works with 90% of women but not with 10%. But 10% of women that have it done have to have a hysterectomy done later on. You can still get pregnant so you still need some type of birth control.
Good luck.

My doctor did all the same tests and also recommended the ablation. I have tried the pills and am considering doing the ablation myself.
My cycles being extremely irregular and very heavy at times too.
It sounds like your doctor is being thorough.
Sorry I can't give advice since I haven't had it, but sounds like we are in similar circumstances.
I say go for it. It sounds pretty direct, and like the next move.

My doc thought I had fibroids and checked my thyroid. Same deal, just standard peri-menopausal hormone wackiness.
I had to fight to get it done because I was not yet 40 and everyone said I'd remarry and want more babies. What sold my doc was that a) I was anemic and b) I was missing 1-2 days of work each month which was causing financial strain, and thus causing stress.
If you are sure you are done with babies, Novasure is pretty awesome. I had it maybe 4 years ago and had a "great result" according to my gyne. I only get very light spotting now. Not enough lining left to even have cramping.
It was outpatient, done in my doctor's office on the one day of the month that they do Novasure and Essure. I was completely out for the procedure, but woke up in the recovery cubicle in pain. I had a prescription for a narcotic. Took it twice in the next 8 hours, a half dose the following 8, and just Motrin after that. I took one day off from work.

You are correct. I just actually had a hysterectomy on Tuesday and the actual "reason" they listed was mennoraghia (or really heavy periods). Your heaviness is about what I described to my Dr - using the Ultra tampon and STILL soaking through within 1-1.5 hours for 2 days.

As far as "cause" you can thank your M.!!! She indicated (and everything I read points to) that genetics is the biggest factor. We have already talked about my daughter - who just turned 13 and is ALREADY using super+ size tampons switching every couple of hours. We will probably go the IUD route for her in a couple years.

I had a biopsy done... which will tell the thickness of your uterus. Combine this thickness with how heavy your periods are and you get some helpful info (not sure WHY it's helpful, my Dr just indicated it was helpful....lol)
We talked about a couple of options - ablation being one of them. I also have fibroids and a history of ovarian cysts. I also have what she said was middleshmurtz (which is when it's painful to ovulate). She pretty much said that ablation or an IUD are the only options for the super heavy period, unless you want to go to the hysterectomy route (which, I would recommend, btw, and I'm only 2 days post-op...so I'll let you know if I change my mind).
For me - Like I said I also have the fibroids and I was having endometrial cells start showing up on my pap. When they got in there they said I had a bunch of endometriosis as well as an endometrioma on my left ovary (it was of the "Chocolate type" which made my 13 year old both giggly and horrified).

One last note - my exSIL had the ablation done. She said after about 1.5 years her periods were back to the way they had been and had to have it done again. Now, that was 10 years ago... so they may have made some strides since then.

Good luck.