Thermal ablation & menopause

Well, I suppose that you already know that decrease in sexual hormones’ production especially estrogen doesn’t only lead to menstrual cessation but also to a wide range of other symptoms. By having endometrial ablation done, you are unfortunately not protected from experiencing hot flashes, fatigue, mood fluctuations, vaginal dryness, excessive sweating, sleeping problems and variety of other symptoms. Menopause does mean a cessation of menstrual periods but everything is due to hormonal levels decline. Hormonal tests reveal menopause usually when you are deep in it. This is at least my personal opinion and if you suffer from any symptoms that I mentioned or other ones, it would be good if you spoke to your doctor and tried to manage the most disturbing ones. There is no need for hormonal treatments, you may be turning to estrogen foods or herbs that could help you alleviate the symptoms.

I also had a thermal ablation done 3 years ago and never had a period afterwards. While my doctor tells me I am not in menopause, well you could have fooled me. I have several symptoms and my biggest concern is that there is NOT a lot of studies out there on women in this class because the procedure is relatively new and so the doctors don't have 50 years experience dealing with this class. I am 48 have 3 children and suffer with night sweats and very low libidio and mood swings. I am on HRT but not sure I need to be or want to be. I feel that it helps a little but also have gained weight over the past year and want desperately to take the weight off. I would appreciate any feedback anyone has on this subject and their experience. Thank you.

I also had a thermal ablation and DandC. It will be 5 years ago this July, since the procedure. I haven't had a period since. I am wondering about menopause also. I am 47 and have gained weight around the middle, which is driving me CRAZY! I have an occasional hot flash and some night sweats. How do I know if I'm going through the "change"? I asked my doctor and she didn't really have an answer for me. Just that if something is really bothering me, to let her know and she'll see if there is something she can do for me. Not very reassuring. I would like a definate answer. I have noticed that my breasts seem a bit bigger, and sometimes tender. Is that a sign of anything? Can anyone please help ease my mind?

Thanks, I would appreciate any feedback.

Les

Hi:
Menopause can come at different ages for different women. The best indicator is from your mother. At what age did she begin menopause? I'm curious as to why you're worried about it. There are other symptoms to menopause, i.e. hot flashes, etc. Enjoy not being in menopause. If you don't know it, you're probably not in it. The ablation has no effect on menopause. It is simply a burning of the uterus lining. It did not affect the reproduction process. Enjoy yourself......Leave nature to its work.....You'll be fine.

Hello. Im new to this website but i found it, so heres my question. I also have had ablation and im 32 years old. I was having very heavy menstral bleeding and cramping, so my dr. reccomended Novasure. Lately, in the past month or so, ive felt very warm inside my head,hot, low self esteem, mood swings, and depression. I also was recently married for the first time in March. We have four kids all together. Should i talk to my dr. about depression or treating menapause? Trust me I know alot of stress can cause my symptoms also, but is there a way for my dr. to know for a fact, like with hormone testing or something, if im just depressed or going through the change. Oh, i forgot, my ablation was done about4 years ago and i do not have a period at all. Thanks everyone. Id love your feedback. And I feel for all of you. Its a real pain in the @#%z% to not know whats going on with your own bodies isnt it?!!!!!

I had an ablation in August of 2001. I continued to have a light period every month until three years ago. Now I get one or two periods a year. I hit menopause head on with every menopausal symptom out there. My endocrinologist ran a blood test for FSH and confirmed that I am feeling the effects of menopause.

Some people breeze through menopause almost effortlessly. If the women in your family have a history of miserable symptoms, it's good to follow up on that and find out what they did to ease their symptoms. I'm 48 with a family history of breast cancer....plus I have atrial fibrillation and there is a risk of clots if I took HRT...so I have not been cleared by any doctor to even entertain the thought.

I have made a few lifestyle changes. I used to smoke, I don't anymore. I removed caffeine, dairy and red meat from my diet. I eat mostly whole foods and stay away from processed foods. I make sure I get the fruits and vegetables in every day. And I supplement with whole food multi-vitamins (Source of Life is the best out there...and your body responds better to whole food vitamins...my nutritionist recommened these), 2000 IU of Vitamin D and 1000 mg of Vitamin C. I started walking 10 minutes a day...then moved up to 20...then 30. It sounds like a lot....but 30 to 60 days later, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! And my bloodwork came back awesome. I used to have low potassium levels, not anymore. My thyroid hormone fluctuated...now it stays stable (I cannot take synthroid, allergic to something in the drug). I haven't been doing this long, but will continue for as long as it keeps working. I'm hoping that I'll be able to be one of those who breezes through menopause.

I hope this helps you out. :-)

i had a ablation done in august of 09 and i never had a period since now 8 months later i am bleeding and cramping i was just wondering if somone could tell me if this was normal or not. i dont have health insurance at the time and can not go to the docter so any info would be greatly apperciated .

Hello,

I had an ablation in July 09 and no periods since then until yesterday. Call to MD said that this can be normal but will check FSH levels next week and to check again if bleeding is heavy.

Trying to reply to 32-yr old "Guest." First time contributor, so hope this works. I'm not a doctor (but have been mistaken for one, along with practically every other profession!), but it really sounds like you're suffering from the effects of raging hormones. I'm 47 and have been experiencing every symptom known to woman, on and off, since my early 30s. I highly recommend the book "The Wisdom of Menopause," by Dr. Christianne Northrup to women (and men) of any age/stage of life. The beginning is a bit introspective/philosophical, but once you get past that, there's a ton of very helpful information and recommendations re diet, supplements, exercise, lifestyle. Evaluate the info and try what you think will work best for you. Although I was only slightly overweight, losing weight and a dietary overhaul (whole grains, no refined sugars/starches, soy proteins, supplements, etc.,) made a huge improvement in the physical symptoms. When I got lazy with the exercise and portion control, gained the weight back and symptoms got worse again. As for the emotional symptoms (e.g. depression, mood swings, etc.), I do seem to remember them practically disappearing, as well. They also returned with the physical symptoms. Throughout, and now, I've toughed out the emotional stuff, but I don't have any kids, so that puts me in an entirely different stress bracket. Plus, I hate drugs, rarely even take acetominophen. Again, you need to decide what works best for your sanity, but I would definitely recommend trying the natural approach first. Also, Marilu Henner has some wonderful books/cookbooks with not only recipes, but healthy conversions and amounts, like how to convert a cup of sugar to what amount of molasses, or that you need more liquid when using whole grain flours, etc.



I discovered that menopause book on the Oprah show and read it cover-to cover in two days. The lifestyle takes a lot of time and effort initially, and dedication and perserverence in the long run, but I've recommended the book(s) to many people (even bought it for a few) and often referred to it as my bible. I'll probably be getting the ablation soon myself, but I don't expect it to ease any of the symptoms of raging hormones, which, unfortunately seem to be a curse at various stages throughout life, not just in puberty and at menopause. I hope to renew my dedication to a healthier lifestyle again soon, and I hope my reply will be helpful to you. Also, if you don't already, make sure you get an annual physical with all the blood tests, etc., to make sure you don't have thyroid or other problems. Good luck!

This response is for the person who wrote the message above, and for anyone else who has experienced bleeding subseqent to ablation. If you go to "2womenshealth.com/Endometrial-Ablation.htm" (without the quotation marks), you'll find a ton of info from, ironically, a male gyne in England. He cites a study showing 20 to 25 percent of women who undergo balloon ablation require a repeat of the procedure or a hysterectomy. There's so much info on that site. Don't know if it will eliminate the need to go to a doctor, but at least you'll learn a lot. I hope you see this reply and that it helps. Also hope circumstances or Obama's new insurance deal will help you get insurance. Good luck!

This is in response to most all of you. I had a thermal ablation , by a gynocologist April of 2010, 43 years old. Also, no periods, yay. I was told it absolutely did not affect my hormones, which made sense since its only burning your uterine lining. Again I asked my gynas nurse, when I felt I had gained some weight rapidly (about 25 lbs in 6 months), and she reassured me couldn't be the ablation because it does not affect hormones.

About a year later I then tried to get off of my anti depressants, by slowly going off of them. Had some difficulty, feeling yucky and having several menopausal symptoms. I stayed off of them for about 2 months and talked it over with my physician and he suggested going back on the antidepressants because, he figured, I wasn't ready to be off of them because I had not felt well since being off of them, hot flashes, achy, moody.

Fast forward to March 2013. I had my yearly checkup with my new family doctor and talked to her about going off of my antidepressants again and i explained the time before I had been off of them. She said, "well, you were probably having menopausal symptom because you are going through menopause but the antidepressants are keeping you from having the symptoms. We are now prescribing antidepressants for menopausal symptoms" I was quite surprised. She then did blood tests on my progesterone and estrogen to inform me 2 days later.............I am post menopausal. Post-menopausal. Not only did the antidepressants keep me from suffering through the symptoms of menopause, she is certain the ablation sent me into early menopause. Just my experience. All of you sound like you are in menopause because of the thermal ablation.

Good luck

Fantastic advice! I have been entertaining every idea you mentioned here and I can't wait to get those books. Great resources! Thank you!

I will be 45 this fall and I had thermal ablation about two years ago because of very heavy menstrual periods. I have VERY light spotting about once a month, which is great. I have always had PMS and I have had to take anti-depressants for about three or four years. BUT, I've been having night sweats and much more severe mood swings since the ablation. I've gained 30 pounds in those two years although I am really active. Recently, I've been getting really hot and my cheeks get real red. My mother had to have a complete hysterectomy in her early 30's so I'm not sure when she actually had menopause, but my maternal grandmother had her's about age 50. I really feel like the ablation has brought this on early. Oh yeah, I also had a complete physical about six months ago and all the doctor could tell me is that my vitamin D was really low. I take 10,000 units daily now.

I had the Novasure a few year's ago and I had all my yearly exams and everything is great no period not since that day.I have been having cramping on the left side and I have the feeling I am having a period but I haven't spotted nor had a period since I had Novasure done years ago.I am on the normal HRT.Does anyone else have this bad cramping kinda like it has a heart beat?I thought maybe I would call and see if he needed to adjust the pills.

 

 

Thanks,Guest