6 month after endometrial ablation

I'm a 48 year old who had the procedure done in June 2008. I was off work for one day with no complications. My periods have been mild ever since. My weight gain has been 8 pounds so far but I am eating no more than 1200 calories a day and exercising at least 1/2 hour daily. I am experiencing a lot of water retention even though I refrain from sodium, caffeine, processed foods and sugar. I don't know whether to blame the procedure itself or my age (peri-menopause).
A good friend (aged 46) recommended the Novasure ablation to me as she has had great success (done in 2006) . In two years she has gone from 200 pounds to 142 lbs. It's hard to determine what the weight gain is about because it certainly does not apply to her.

HI everyone;
I'm just a guest here but stumbled upon this site when I did a Google search for "failed endometrial ablation".
I can't believe I'm not the only for whom the procedure didn't work and have the crazy cramps and bleeding again!!

I had the Ablation/Tubal done in Sept. 2007; it was great for about 7 or 8 months; then one day I was riding my horse and suddenly felt like my panty liner was soaked; I got off and ran to the bathroom only to see a huge amount of blood (I was freaked out!) It was like my worst period come back to haunt me!
So luckily there was a pad in the barn washroom and I was able to put that on!

So anyway, I went to my Gyn. in June to ask WTF was going on and she suggested I go back on the Pill for a few months to try to 'regulate' things cuz it was like I was getting 2 periods a month; a big one and a small one! 8-|
However, that pissed me off cuz the whole reason I'd done the Ablation and Tubal was so I could go OFF the pill!
I'm 36 and never wanted kids but for years was told I couldn't be sterilised lest I "change my mind". >;) They wouldn't do a Hysterectomy on me but now I will probably need one cuz now the bleeding is almost constant and I have BRUTAL cramps! Like the ones I used to have when I was 15 before I went on the pill. They hurt so much and are almost constant.

I didn't have any of the weight gain that many of you complained about and I'm pretty small and athletic (5' 6", 118 lbs) but I do seem to feel more bloated at night since my Ablation and that sucks.

I had an ultrasound done last month and the Dr. determined I have uternine fibroids or cysts. She did an internal exam last week to even check one of the cysts for cancer (so THAT is freaking me out!! since I've had normal Pap tests every year!!).
These constant cramps just started a couple of weeks ago though when for most of the Summer they were just once a month; however now I just want the Hysterectomy that I wish I did last year instead of the Ablation!!! :'(

I had the procedure done January 2007. I spotted the first month after the surgery and was period free until last month. I was hoping it was a fluke but I am spotting now. I did gain about 15 pounds in 2007 but thought it was from taking Lyrica for Fibromyalgia; I wonder now if it's from the procedure. Along with bleeding I am experiencing extreme mood swings. They started last month before my period and I have been very moody the past few days. I haven't had cramps. I did have pain in my left ovary a lot after the procedure; not sure why?

I Had The Ablation surgury in Jan of 2008 along with tying my tubes. This seemed to be the best rout for me due to the fact that I can not take birth control and after having 2 babies 14 months apart my body had had all it could stand. Now after having the surgury I Still have a period which are much lighter and more regular, but the cramping is almost unbarrable at times. It seems this is a common side effect. There are days i hurt so badly i can hardly take care of my two children. Not only do i cramp I Have gained about 20 pounds and my knees hurt so badly at times I can hardly walk. My Knees seem to hurt worse when I start my period.
Due to lack of insurence I Have been unable to go to the Dr since my symptoms have been prgressivly getting worse. I hope after the first of the year when new insurance kicks in the Dr can give me some kind of answer to my pain and discomfort.
I Do not reccomend this surgury to anyone!!!!

Me too. I'm glad I found this site, I only wish I had known about it before now. I had an ablation in early January 2008. It was not my original option.



I just turned 45 in November. I have suffered from heavy, heavy periods for many years now, starting after I stopped taking BC pills in my early to mid-30s. I had the type of period where the cramps would knock me out for 1-2 days due to intense and debilitating pain, and I would pass huge clots so large they would push out a super tampon.



My periods worsened over time and my primary care physician, who suspected fibroid tumors, sent me to an ob/gyn for evaluation. Suffice it to say, an ultrasound last fall confirmed the presence of a submucosal fibroid about the size of a golf ball and a second, smaller intracavity tumor. My treatment options included hormone therapy (provera in pill form), lupron, abalation, hysterectomy or uterine artery embolization (UAE). The submucosal tumor cannot be removed by myeomectomy(spelling?) because its on the inside uterine wall.



After doing some research, I decided - against my ob/gyn's wishes - to have the UAE procedure, which is performed by a radiologist. I attempted that procedure in December 2007. After making an incision in my groin and inserting the tube that shoots the ballls into the arteries, the radiologist determined the UAE wouldn't work for me because my arteries were too small.



In early January of this year, I had the ballon ablation (Novasure, I believe) as outpatient surgery. I was off work two days and had a mixture of bleeding and pinkish brownish discharge, which my doctor told me to expect. She also said I could expect a lighter, more normal period, or no period at all and also that I might have to have the procedure done again in two years.



For seven blessed months, I had very light periods lasting no more than three days - tops! I was free of wearing bulky overnight pads to work during the day, and at night resting on a towel in bed to safeguard against an "accident" while I slept. I gave away my box of super absorbency tampons and purchased tiny ones in their stead.



I had my annual pap in August and all appeared normal. I did gain 10 pounds.



I had no period in Spetember, just light spotting and a discharge, wirh no odor. The same in October. My docotr's nurse said to call if the discharge had an odor. In November, I began my period on the 17th. The next day at work, I started experiencing severe cramps and when I went to the restroom, a huge clot pushed past my tiny tampon and plopped into the toilet. I was bleeding like I had prior to having the procedure. This pattern continued for several days, would subside, then come back.



I had a respite on Dec. 1-2 when for two days I stopped but had a watery discharge instead. But I am still bleeding, though not as heavy as a week ago. In my medical file, that i looked at Thursday during my most recent visit to the doctor, she had written "Failed Ablation" next to the befroe and after photos of the inside of my uterus.



She can't say why my endometrium grew back so quickly, or if the cause of the heavy bleeding now is in fact the submucosal fibroid tumor. I'm scheduled to have another ultrasound in January to see if that tumor has gotten larger in a year's time.



In the meantime, I'm now taking Provera in the hopes it will help to regulate my hormones and thin the lining of my uterus. If so, she wants me to have an IUD implanted that contains the same hormone. I can wear that for five years, she said, hopefully getting me to menopause. She doesn't want to perform major surgery on me, for which I'm grateful.



I'm sorry for writing a novella here, but I needed to vent and this message board has given me a forum to do so in a productive way.



- Kim

I find most of the people on this site are major whiners. You read about the complaints that the doctor did not correctly advise about the side effects. Did you read the pamplet? The ablation should reduce blood flow not reduce cramps. If your main complaint was heavy periods and this procedure cured that... then it worked. If it did not cure that issue then you need to go back to the doctor or check with a different one. The people that write about gaining 20-30 or more pounds of weight gain need to push away from the plate. This procedure has nothing to do with excessive weight gain. I have found most people that gain weight want to blame it on everything else but themselves. Face it, the older you get the less you do whether you want to admit it or not. It is calories in and calories out. If you have a job where you sit on your duff all day then you are not burning too many calories. Sluggish metabolism? OK... work harder. I have hypothyroidism on 2 grains or armour per day, had the ablation due to horrible bleeding issue and I need to lose 30 pounds. Know what??? The ablation worked, it reduced (not eliminated) the blood flow but not the cramps. I have a slow metabolism and have to work harder than I did when I was 25 to lose weight. No one said life was pain free or struggle free. Get Real.

I had the ablation in Feb 07 and gained 20 lbs. The ABSOLUTE ONLY THING different in my life was the ablation --- I ate well, exercised regularly, no booze, etc, etc. I have an active job, an even more active lifestyle, and has always been an ideal weight.

So, instead of whining, as implied above, I cut down to 1000-1500 calories a day, no carbs, increased my exercise level to 1-2 workouts a day (up from 4 a week), banned sugar from my diet, etc. I even went to my MD and had a thyroid, hormone, metab and a dozen other tests run....nothing was wrong. I have NEVER had a healthier lifestyle!

But, after all of this, in a span of about 4 months, I have lost two lbs. That's it.

My dear friend is a Nurse Practitioner and was stymied. She just could not find anything in the clinical literature to support the relationship between ablation and weight gain.

Hmmmmm.

So then I fortunately ran into an old friend who is a MD/PhD....she has both practiced Ob/Gyn in a major city and now is a researcher at a large university. Here's what she had to say, based on 20+ years of experience:

The literature/brochures on procedures like this only print what "legal departments" tell them they can without getting sued --- which is data that has been clinically "blessed" in what the medical world calls "white papers."

So, if a bunch of clinical studies have not been done on the relationship between weight gain and ablation, or too few studies have been done, or if they are still in progress, or if the relationship hasn't been strongly proven, and the clinical literature has thus not been blessed in peer review (a bunch of other MDs/PhDs who review clinical studies prior to them being published in medical journals --- the "Bibles" of the medical research field) you will not yet see any language relative to weight gain post-ablation yet.

And, since weight gain as a side effect is not life-threatening --- as would be a stroke, high blood pressure, etc. --- the FDA approved the procedure prior to the research linking ablation to weight gain being released. And if you don't believe that the FDA would let this happen, two words for you: Phen-Fen. Or what about Provera, the drug that women took for YEARS before the research finally came back to link it to breast cancer.

Sorry, folks, but that's just the way clinical academia works. And being a PhD myself in another Humanities discipline, I can vouch for what my MD/PhD friend is saying: academic research can take years to complete -- then add a few years to that for it to be published.....just ask anyone who has suffered through a doctoral dissertation.

(And that's not whining, it's reality.)

i too have gained weight, it is 7 months since i had it done! and it started to creep on almost immediately! i also get a tugging to one side (usually the right side) but i had no periods for 4 months, then mostly watery blood or brownish discharge1, cramps were terrible too! especially when i got it done, i felt like i was in labour!!! they say it will be mild cramps, i dont think so!. but then if they told you what it was really going to be like you wouldnt have it done would you ! ? my only upside to this is that i do not have really heavy periods like before with big clots, now its just a light watery flow, so i cant complain to much, although i did think not having them for the first 4 months meant i was in the clear! oh! well, just have to live with it!

my experience sounds exactly like yours !, without the D & C and not as bad as labor pains, but severe cramping! i found after the procedure to be worse, i felt like i was in labor then! this is why i am on this forum to see if the pain on one side and tugging is normal ?. :( lindyhot

I had the procedure in December 2008. Since I have had cramping, discharge and a raging yeast infection.

When the doctor finally o.k.'d me to use suppositories for the infection, I noticed I can not insert the tube. It is very small tube, but i feel there is a blockage that is painful. I can't have sex with my husband. Very stressed!

I had the ablation in Oct. 08. Everything is fine.... so far, but I am gaining weight like crazy, I workout everyday and eat well, like I always have. I have never had a weight gain problem until now. Has anyone heard of this?

Thanks to all for posting. My PA suggested an Ablation for me b/c of very heavy periods w/clots. (I also have a mild bleeding disorder). I am scheduled for an ultrasound in a week or two. After reading all this, I think I'd rather suffer for a week per month than face what you ladies are dealing with. Or find out if a hysterectomy is better. I am done having kids. That pain a lot of you talk about - it makes sense that it is blood getting caught somewhere. Another site i visited - created by a dr. - says that ablation is only 40 - 58% effective. Gulp.

Thanks again for helping me w/my personal research.

I am scheduled to have this done in March but don't think I will now. My "heavy" periods are manageable but since I am having my tubes tied I thought "What the heck, do this too." but the risk doesn't sound worth it. My boyfriend even said he doesn't mind the period days and would prefer I don't do more than I have too.

Thank you ladies, for sharing your stories.

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6 months following endometrial ablation