Nonsurgical Treatment Stops Heavy Menstrual Bleeding:
Years of Emotional Distress Relieved in Minutes
OLYMPIA, Wash., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- For years, doctors have performed hysterectomies to treat heavy menstrual bleeding in women, a serious surgical procedure that requires weeks of recovery. A quick nonsurgical alternative is now available at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Wash.
The Novasureä System is designed to reduce or eliminate excessive menstrual bleeding by removing the endometrial lining of the uterus. A thin wand is inserted through the cervix into the uterus. Through this device, the physician delivers a dose of radiofrequency energy into the uterus, which destroys the lining. The rest of the uterus remains intact, and no other organs are affected.
The procedure only takes a few minutes. Patients typically go home within a few hours and are able to drive within 24 hours.
Sarah Benson, a registered nurse, spent years living with severe cramps and heavy bleeding but didn’t want a hysterectomy. “I planned my life around my period,” said Benson.
One in five women suffers from heavy bleeding, or menorrhagia. Menorrhagia severely restricts a woman’s normal activities and often causes fatigue, anemia, emotional distress and embarrassment.
“Less than a week after the procedure I was able to return to work,” said Benson. “My whole lifestyle has changed. I don’t have to worry about my period interfering with anything I want to do.”
“Menstrual bleeding varies from one woman to the next, but in general, a normal period lasts two to seven days,” says Laurie Sorenson, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist at Providence St. Peter Hospital.
Signs of an abnormal period are as follows:
Lasts more than 7 days
Requires changing protection nearly every hour
Causes fatigue or anemia
Interferes with social, athletic or sexual activities
“If a woman has any one of these symptoms, she should talk to her gynecologist about treatment options,” says Sorenson.
According to clinical studies, more than 91 percent of women treated with Novasure report they now have only light to moderate bleeding. More than 60 percent have less painful menstruation and about 45 percent have experienced a reduction in PMS symptoms. This procedure is for women who have completed childbearing.
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