Endometrial ablation
Endometrial ablation is a medical procedure which is used to remove (ablate) the endometrial lining of the uterus. (An ablation means the removal of material from the surface of the object by means of vaporization, chipping or some other erosive process.) This procedure is normally done in an outpatient setting, either in a doctor’s office or hospital. Patients who might wish to become pregnant at a later date should not have an endometrial ablation as this could result in a high-risk pregnancy. Though the majority of women become infertile after this procedure, it is still encouraged that women use some form of birth control just for this reason. Overall, approximately 90% of women who have an endometrial ablation have reduced menstrual bleeding. Of those, approximately 45% will stop having periods altogether. Some women may initially have periods after the procedure, only for those periods to completely stop within a few months. Other women may have no periods at all for several years but may notice them returning at a much later time. Approximately 22% of women who have had this procedure will eventually chose to have a hysterectomy. Patients who have an IUD must have these removed prior to undergoing a uterine ablation. Women must also have a normal pap smear and uterine biopsy prior to having this procedure. With most forms of uterine ablations, a D and C is done immediately prior in order to both thin the lining of the uterus and often to check for uterine cancer. In cases where a D and C is not performed (such as most in-office procedures), a hormonal medication may be given to help thin the endometrial lining. With any endometrial ablation, sex, tampons, tub baths and anything involving insertion of anything into the vagina should be avoided for a set amount of time, usually about two weeks or longer as needed. As with most procedures, a heavy discharge or flow similar to a period may last 1-2 weeks. The discharge may have an unpleasant odor and may continue even for several weeks following the procedure, even if there is no blood.