Need advise: ablation or hyst?

I have had heavy and prolonged bleeding many months so far this year. I have been told I have fibroids, an enlarged uterus. I am currently on my 24th day of this period and on 1 a day birth control pills. Still haven't stopped bleeding. I have another appt w/ doc on Monday the 15th to discuss next step - ablation or hysterectomy. Any advise out there? This past June my blood count was down to 8.6. We got the bleeding stopped with 2 a day birth control pills for 3 weeks. Now just taking 1/day and it has not stopped yet.

We are glad you have found HysterSisters.com and I hope we can offer you helpful information and support!

Have you tried any other options besides birth control pills? Depo Provera or Lupron maybe? How about Lysteda/Cyklokapron (generic name tranexamic acid)? Have you considered the Mirena Coil IUD? How about a myomectomy, UAE/UFE or MRgFUS?

There are multiple treatment options for a fibroid besides a hysterectomy and we have a lot information in our Resource Database about fibroids and those treatment options. If you click on the purple More tab at the upper right of the screen you will find a link to those Resources.

Before making your final decision, I would suggest you seek at least a second opinion.

I had funky heay periods every 3 months that I tried treating with BC pills. The pills helped somewhat....but I had frequent horrible headaches while on them so I stopped after 6 months. I tried birth control TWICE in 3 years to control my symptoms

I tended to bleed more frequently...(every 16 days at one point)....and every few months I had gushing after-birth like heavy periods that would last 4-6 hours and then settle into a normal period.

Finally...I had a period that lasted 34 days (and 30 of those days I woke up with cramps and headache). I was MISERABLE. I got checked out and learned I had an enlarged uterus with mulitiple fibroids and I had an enlarged, cystic left ovary. After the biopsy, I was told I had a uteran polyp too.

So rather than struggle with my period running my life any longer as well as worrying about growths metasticizing....I opted to have it all out with DaVinci surgery. I am 50 and done with child-rearing....and already in peri-menopause for well over a decade....so I felt I just wanted to get this race DONE....instead of limping to the finish line.

I am not opting to have HRT at this point....but if I can't get out of my own way emotionally or lack the physical stamina and strength I used to enjoy....I may jump on it. RIght now, I am feeling pretty good.....just frustrated that I am not well enough to do a lot of stuff without help yet. I will be 3 weeks post-op on Thursday...and generally feel pretty great....just know when I am pushing it a bit and have to still rest a lot.

There are a lot of options........ but DVH seemed the best course of action to solve the most ills.




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I have had heavy bleeding for years - and it slowly got worse and worse over the past 7 years and I started to feel worse until last year July one night I soaked through a towel and it would not stop.
This really scared me. At the same time I found a lump in my breast and I finally got my act together to go see a doctor.
Turns out the lump was a lipoma but I got a call from the office that they wanted to see my same day.

Red blood cells 20 below minimum and they could not even find a trace of iron.

At this point I hardly could function due to the anemia, lost a lot of hair, developed a heart murmur - what a mess - I thought I was going crazy.

Started taking 300 mg of iron per day.

Took 3 months to finally see gyno.

Been taking Cyklokapron for the past 6 months and it helped a lot but not enough to get my blood values up.
I am holding my own but I have had enough. I am 46 - and we decided a hysterectomy (tubes and cervix stay) is the way to go. Last year my fibroma was 10x10 cm and I am sure it has grown since then. It also has caused bladder prolapse so I am having this done at the same time.

Decided against ablation because even if it worked it would not take care of the growing fibroma and the bladder issue.

Blood work showed menopause is nowhere in sight so for me - hysterectomy it is.
I want my life back - not that I can remember really how it was and how I felt before all this started.

So sorry you are going through this. I struggled with my issues for 2 years and at one point I had bleeding for six months straight, some days heavy and some mile spotting but something every day!

I was also found to be anemic a year ago and have been taking iron pills daily since then and finally have almost reached the low end of the normal range. I did have a surgery in March to remove a fibroid and although the surgeon believes there was only the one (MRI and camera during procedure showed no other fibroids) I am still having problems.

I have no children so this was a decision I didn't take lightly but for me it was a choice to regain my life! I also considered ablation but I have several friends who had the procedure and it seems that it's about a 50/50 shot. For some of them, they've never had another episode years later and for others nothing changed at all. I wanted the guarantee this would all be over!

Prayers for you as you make this difficult decision.

I had a D&C and ablation December 2009 due to polyps in my uterus causing constant heavy bleeding and cramping. While the bleeding is better than is was it has been getting heavier each cycle and lasting longer each time. I now have multiple fibroids that were not present at the time of ablation and have a hysterectomy booked for December. The ablation is way less invasive with a very manageable recovery. I am glad I did it even though it didn't ultimately work (I never got the promised maximum 1 or 2 day period - never less than 7). I think it is worth a try. That being said, fibroids can grow back and the only way of getting rid of them for good is hysterectomy.

What do your instincts tell you?
I've spent a lot of time thinking things over. I have heavy bleeding caused by polyps, my gyno tried to railroad me into having Mirena inserted, my initial reaction was very much against that.

I've spent a lot of time soul searching and realized that my initial reaction was the right one for me . It just took me some time to realize why I was feeling like that.

If your gut tells you that a hysterectomy will solve your problems then go for it but if you feel doubts then a second opinion and exploring other options is the way to go

Good luck in whatever you decide

I tried Mirena for 6 weeks. Made me soooooo miserable!! I think I tried just about everything before booking hysto! Everyone reacts differently. I turned into an angry person and had constant brain fog and fatigue. Am also on cyklokapron (sp?) till surgery. It works well enough to minimize gushing and clots but my period lasts forever! Everything seems to be a trade off for another problem. I think I needed to exhaust all other treatment options before going for the hysto ... But that may have been my gyno's decision more than mine! Haha!

I am also trying to decide which of the two options would be best. So, I'm a very different patient the the rest on here. I have 4 children and a tubal ligation done the same day my last one was born 13 yrs. ago. Before my last, I never even knew what a cramp, pms, or any thing was.

I went through serious depression and was on Seasonique for 2 years and experienced pre-menopausal symptoms. I switched to <>, which doesn't carry it. Tried Levora which doesn't have the estrogen in it. Within two months, my entire body went through a switch. I no longer had the premenopausal symptoms and began having heavier periods. I also had a MAJOR decrease in sexual drive. An much older friend suggested that I didn't need the birth control pills to help with the depression any more. So I stopped taking them to see. My sex drive returned full throttle, but the periods became heavier and the cramping pretty close to premature labor pains.

My <> physician's assisstant prescribed Provera to help with the bleeding. She scheduled me to have an ultrasound which found two very tiny fibriods. The Provera worked for the first month, and took as prescribed, one a day the 1st through the 10th of the month and then extreme cramping and heavy bleeding. I have been dealing with this problem for 8 months now.

I am a second grade teacher and cannot continue to miss a week every month due to cramps and heavy bleeding. So I asked my physician's assisstant about a hysterectomy. She referred me to a MD.

When I saw the MD., she knew that I am done with this, but strongly recommended ablation. I read the Novasure pamphlet and thought maybe this could be a good alternative. Until I started reading blogs by other women who have had it done. Their main complaint is the extreme labor like pain. I already experience extreme pain, and don't want it any more. The complaints about weight gain, is not preferred by me, but acceptable if I can have lighter to no periods and less pain.

I have been reading some of the complaints of hysterectomy as well. The difference is that I know and work with several women who have already had it done, with absolutely no complaints. So now I'm unsure.

Should I stick with my original solution to my problem of having a hysterectomy or should I take a chance on the NovaSure?

I have heard the success rate of ablation is higher the older you are. I was 39 when I had mine. I had no real side effects from it, it just didn't work as well as I had hoped and then I developed fibroids. If it wasn't for the possibility of fibroids growing back I would have considered re-doing ablation. Alhough I do like the "finality" of the hysto option. I am tired of messing around. Food for thought: you can try ablation and if it doesn't work then hysto, but you can't try hysterectomy then ablation! Definitely if you aren't convinced you need a hysterectomy get second opinions, etc. until you feel comfortable. You have to do what is best for you.

Good luck ladies and hopefully you find relief no matter what your decision is!