Is It the Best Choice for Excessive Menstrual Bleeding?
Odds are great that you are close to someone who has had her uterus surgically removed; odds are good that if you haven't had yours removed, at some point you will. After all, as many as one third of women in the U.S. have a hysterectomy by age 60.¹ It is the second most frequently performed major surgical procedure for women of reproductive age, after cesarean section.
Hysterectomy was in the news again this summer when California researchers lead by William Parker, M.D., reported the routine practice of removing a woman's ovaries during a hysterectomy has no clear health benefit and actually raises the risk of death from heart disease and hip fracture.
That information is surprising, but perhaps not as surprising as learning that many of the over 600,000 hysterectomies performed annually in the U.S. may be unnecessary.
Think Once, Twice, Three Times Before HysterectomyIn his book
A Gynecologist's Second Opinion, Dr. Parker provides startling comparisons of the incidence of hysterectomy in the U.S. and Europe. Consider the following: An American woman is twice as likely to have a hysterectomy as a woman in England and four times as likely as a Swedish woman. French doctors almost never perform hysterectomy for fibroids, which is the most common reason for hysterectomy in this country. Cultural attitudes and physician training are just two factors that contribute to these differences.
Judy Norsigian is executive director of Our Bodies, Ourselves, a Boston-based women's health advocacy group. "You need to think once, twice, three times before pursuing hysterectomy. Sometimes it is necessary, sometimes it is not. It is major surgery and should not be entered into lightly."
Mona Alqulali, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Davenport, Iowa, expresses similar words of caution. "Many of my patients come to me and say their mother had a hysterectomy and they think they need one too. Doctors are accustomed to performing hysterectomies and patients are accustomed to having them. There needs to be greater awareness of alternative treatments."
Endometrial Ablation for Excessive Menstrual BleedingAccording to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 90 percent of hysterectomies are performed for noncancerous conditions, such as excessive menstrual bleeding.¹
"In the past, a woman with excessive menstrual bleeding was treated with hysterectomy," says Dr. Alqulali. "With the advent of new technology, we have access to the endometrial cavity and we can identify and tackle problems that used to require removal of the uterus."
Endometrial ablation often can replace hysterectomy for the treatment of bleeding disorders. With endometrial ablation, the uterus and hormones remain intact. Using heat or subzero temperatures, the lining of the uterus, which is responsible for menstrual bleeding, is eliminated. By eliminating most or all of the lining, there is less tissue to shed each menstrual cycle, leading to significantly reduced bleeding.
Her Option Cryoablation Therapy from AMS is an endometrial ablation process that uses subzero temperatures. Because the cold temperatures serve as a natural anesthetic, there is no need for IV sedation. The entire procedure is performed in the doctor's office and typically takes 30 minutes or less. At 24 months, 91 percent of patients were very or extremely satisfied with treatment results, and 96 percent would recommend the procedure to a friend.²
"This procedure is a great choice for women and an appropriate first-line defense," says Dr. Alqulali.
Her Option is not recommended for everyone. You should talk with your doctor about benefits and risks before moving forward with any treatment option. For more information on risks,
click here.
Sometimes You May Need a Hysterectomy
Clearly, there are cases in which hysterectomy is the best treatment choice. If hysterectomy has been suggested to you, be certain to weigh the pros and cons, inquire about alternative treatments and understand the potential benefits and risks.
www.4woman.gov/faq/hysterectomy.
