Many women experience some form of irregular vaginal bleeding at some point in their lives. It may not always be a reason for concern, but if unpredictable vaginal bleeding is happening more often than not, it may be time to seek treatment.
If you're done having children and irregular vaginal bleeding is a problem, endometrial ablation is one of the most successful treatments to eliminate abnormal bleeding. And now, with the cutting-edge NovaSure® procedure, we can do it in our office with minimal downtime and recovery.
Dr. John Paul Roberts and our team in Plano, Texas, offer quick and efficient care for women's health issues, including irregular vaginal bleeding. Dr. Roberts is a board-certified OB/GYN specializing in the minimally invasive NovaSure procedure.
Irregular or unpredictable vaginal bleeding is a common occurrence for many premenopausal women, although it's not always a significant issue. But frequent abnormal bleeding can disrupt your life and make it difficult to enjoy everyday activities.
By definition, abnormal vaginal bleeding is any bleeding outside of your normal menstrual cycle. It may be a heavier-than-normal period, bleeding between periods, or bleeding that lasts longer than seven days.
Various circumstances lead to abnormal vaginal bleeding, not all of which are serious. Hormones are sometimes to blame, along with any of the following medical issues:
If you have irregular vaginal bleeding that occurs more than once, you need to find out what's causing it. Dr. Roberts performs a pelvic exam, blood work, and an ultrasound to rule out specific causes of abnormal bleeding.
He may recommend medications or hormone replacement therapy for some forms of irregular bleeding. But these don't work for everyone, so he also offers endometrial ablation.
Endometrial ablation is a surgical procedure that doctors use to destroy the uterine lining when you have excessive or abnormal vaginal bleeding. It's typically not the first choice in treatment because it's invasive and may or may not change abnormal vaginal bleeding.
There are various forms of endometrial ablation, including those that use heat, laser energy, or cold temperatures to damage and eliminate the uterine lining. Once you have the procedure, you can usually no longer have children.
It’s a good option if you've tried other methods to control abnormal bleeding that haven't worked. The procedure can save you from needing a hysterectomy, which has many more risks than an endometrial ablation.
The NovaSure procedure is one of the most advanced types of endometrial ablation that Dr. Roberts can perform in the office. You will need anesthesia, either sedation or nitrous, but you can go home afterward.
One of the significant benefits of the NovaSure ablation is that it only takes about five minutes total, allowing you to get irregular bleeding under control without the need for extensive surgery. There are no incisions required, leaving your uterus intact.
During the procedure, Dr. Roberts carefully opens your cervix with a small device and inserts a triangular-shaped netting device.
Once the netting is inside your uterus, it changes shape and size to fit your uterine lining. When the netting is in place, Dr. Roberts delivers radiofrequency energy into the netting for about 90 seconds, permanently damaging the uterine lining.
He then removes the netting and wand from your uterus, and you're free to go home after a short recovery period in the office.
The NovaSure procedure is highly effective and is a one-time procedure to stop abnormal vaginal bleeding in premenopausal women.
A significant benefit of the NovaSure procedure is that it's fast, efficient, and requires minimal recovery time. After endometrial ablation and before you leave our office, Dr. Roberts gives you specific recovery instructions, including:
If you have any problems during the recovery period, don't hesitate to contact us for instructions and advice. For the first few days after the procedure, you may have some spotting or discharge.
But you should notice much less bleeding after recovery, and some women stop bleeding altogether. It's an excellent option to stop irregular bleeding without undergoing extensive surgery.
Call our Plano, Texas, office today at 972-591-8540 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Roberts or request a consultation via this website.
