ablation, hysterectomy or 2nd opinion??

I am 27 have 2 children, my husband and I decided we are done having children. I have always had issues with my menstral cycles. For 6 years I only got a period once every 18 months, at age 21 I went through infertility testing (married at 18 and tried for a few years after) I was told by 3 specialist I would never have children. Suddenly at age 23 I began having regular periods, so regular they were every 28 days BY 9am! At age 24 I was blessed with my son, at 26 our daughter came. I always said God gave me my period for that short time to have my kids bc after my daughter came my periods stopped (once again)! Well in Dec to my suprise I started to bleed but it wasn't "regular" it was spotting. I assumed it was "trying to start". Then again in Jan I started to bleed again but this time I didn't stop (now April) and still bleeding with constant aches/pain in right side!! Some days so heavy with VERY large clots (TMI) other times so little I think it stops but doesnt. I've been seeing a doc since Jan. I've had endo biopsy, ultrasound (thicken and enlarge uterus even after 46 days of bleeding), CBC, D & C (removed benign polyps, confirmed hyperplasia) and now on 20 mg progesterone, nothing is making it stop. Its obviously interfering in mine and hubby's sex life, plus with summer coming (changing tampons/pads every 1-2 hrs) how am I suposed to swim with my kids, enjoy bbqs, hiking, anywhere without a bathroom ect??? My doc wants to do ablasion but I've heard may not help and may not be able to do future biopsy if needed. Would a hysterectomy be the way to go?? I'm tired of always battling with my body on this, herbal remedies always helped in the past but not with this. Could something else be causing my hyperplasia and polyps? Will a partial hysterectomy fix this problem? Being only 27 my doc seems hesitant and just keeps scheduling me for more biopsies, should I find 2nd opinion? Someone please help!!!
**trying to stay hopeful**

Hi,

I do recommend getting a second opinion, even a third or more if you need it. At your age, I can see why a doctor would be hesitant to do a hysterectomy, even if you feel your family is complete. An ablation may work but younger women are at higher risk of having to get repeat ablations because the lining of the uterus has more time to grow back...this is versus a woman closer to menopause. I had an ablation that failed when I was 41. There are women who've had successful ablations, however; the nurse that helped me when I went in for mine was a success story. It's kind of a crap shoot, IMO. If you have fibroids, though, an ablation probably won't work.

Have they tried birth control pills for you?

It's *possible* you have adenomyosis, but most of what I've read says it can't be diagnosed before a hysterectomy...some women here have been diagnosed pre-surgery, but I've heard different. I think in most cases, a doctor would look at all your symptoms to see if you possibly have that condition. There's an article about it here.

I know what a pain it is to have problem periods! And yes, it interferes terribly with intimacy. Get some more opinions as there may be medical interventions you can try first before taking more drastic steps. Because you're so young, I'd want to exhaust other options before heading into a major surgery. Good luck!

Sorry you are having to deal with all that. It's great that God blessed your family with two children, when you were told otherwise.

I second HappyDee's opinion about getting other opinions. Even if other things aren't working, I would try to live with the heavy bleeding as long as you can (safely) at your age.

Even though you'd keep your ovaries, having a hysterectomy can lead to early ovarian death /menopause because they main blood supply is cut to the ovaries and they have to rely on a secondary blood supply, which doesn't always work effectively. Early menopause could impact your life/health more than heavy bleeding.

Best of luck on your decision-making.

Definitely get a second opinion and try some different birth control pills.....when i had a 6 month period, a high dose estrogen pill stopped the bleeding in its tracks.
I know how serious heavy bleeding can be, i had extremely low iron and had to do iron shots and if the bleeding wasn't going to stop they were going to get the uterus out to save my life since i was losing a lot of blood. Back then i didn't care about early menopause since i just wanted to live.....the bleeding was really bad.
But thankfully the pill helped stop that at that time and i had a couple more years surgery free.
So definitely ask about the birth control pill.
Try everything you can to stop the bleeding and then think about surgery.
And some women find their ovaries work just fine afterwards.
Hope you are able to find something to stop the bleeding.
Take great care

Thank you ladies! I really like my Obgyn, it's been hard for me to find any doctor that is actually willing to try to "fix" this. That's probably why it's been hard for me to find a new doc for another opinion. I don't want to end up with a doc that just looks at all the results and not try something else or send me for all the same testing and still be where we are today. I did call my doctor and she took me off the progesterone and will be starting a birth control today, so hopefully this will give me some relief!
I am so glad I found this site, it's been hard coping with this alone! I lost my mom just over a year ago and she was always my go to and cheerleader! I've talked to a few family members, all had some type of hysterectomy before age 50 so they have been trying to push me in that direction. Ive never been one to complain. I was raised in a "feel the pain and get over it" family. It's hard having something so "whacky" going on in my body and not having anyone to talk to about it.

I'm 51 and just had surgery for just adenomyosis. Two docs diagnosed this through a pelvic ultrasound and exam. Most of my pain was on the right side. They said the uterus was boggy, mushy. I think the swelling was more pronounced on that side as well. Have they checked you for thIs? I've also been told that the size of the uterus doesn't necessarily determine the amount of pain.

Ask your doc if you were checked for this. Also, some docs and insurance companies like to try bandaid fixes o do research on what they are doing. One example ...tjey wanted to do a DNC but after researching this and talking to my healrh insurance coach line it was determined that this procedure would help with bleeding but not with the pain. I discussed this with my doc and he said...some insurance companies mAke you do certain tests and things before they will authorize a hysterectomy. And I can't stress enough how import it is to keep records. Keep a copy of everything in your hands. Research the posts on this site. Not only will it give you medical info...it will give you piece mind when you read of others issues, symptons and concerns.

If you have adeno , ablation won't help. Hyst should be the last resort. It's the cure for adeno, no need to be miserable, chart your symptoms daily then you'll get a clear picture of your ' quality of life.' Adeno makes you have a lead ball feel to your uterus, labor like pains, shooting pains down legs or achey legs. I had nausea and bedridden w my heating pad, no way to live life. I went into surg w only one ovary and it never missed a beat, it's doing great now. Had some hot flashes in the beginning but they leveled off.

If you believe you may have adenomyosis, sometimes the lesions are visible on an ultrasound or MRI, however, just because lesions are not visible, does not mean you don't have adeno. I had adeno with a small uterus, but when the doc looked at it, it looked "angry" and unhealthy. Another way to diagnose adeno is through hysteroscopy. It's not 100%, but it can provide a positive diagnoisi. As for a second opinion, remember you don't have to ditch your fist doc to get a second opinion. Also you don't have to get repeat testing. You can get copies of all your test results (they belong to you) and take them to the other doctor. That way another doctor can advise you on what you have already had done. If s/he says they wouldn't treat your condition, you aren't stuck with that. You still have your first doctor. I had 3 opinions, and all 3 agreed with each other. That made me feel better about my decision. Actually I had 4. My first opinion was from a gynecologist who said you've always had pain and bad periods. Welcome to pre-menopause. Fortunately, I saw other doctors who discovered I was not in pre-menopause, and I had much more serious issues that needed to be explored. Just as a regular practice, I keep a copy of all my lab results, all images, all test results, and all surgical reports. It has helped out more than I imagined. Finally keep a symptom diary. Sometimes trends or events will become clear when viewed over time.

I put all my symptoms daily on a Dollar Tree calendar. That way I could pinpoint when they were the worst. And tell Dr exactly what was happening at what time in my cycle. I kept that calendar and occasionally look back at it and am so glad that's not my life anymore !