Heavy Periods Specialist

What are heavy periods?

Heavy periods are diagnosed as those during which a woman passes significantly more than the average amount of blood lost during a normal period and needs to change her sanitary towel or tampon more than once an hour for several consecutive hours. Menorrhagia is another term for heavy periods, during which three or more ounces of blood are typically lost. Bleeding that is heavier than normal can be caused by one of these issues:

• natural hormonal changes during puberty or menopause
• recent childbirth
• presence of uterine fibroids or ovarian cysts
• polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• endometriosis
• ectopic pregnancy
• cervical, uterine or ovarian cancer
• some other diseases, like kidney or thyroid disease
• Some types of IUDs can also affect normal menstruation

What is Novasure?

Novasure® endometrial ablation is a fast, effective procedure designed to treat heavy periods or Menorrhagia, without the complications associated with a hysterectomy or hormone replacement therapy. Novasure® endometrial ablation has been employed in over 2 million endometriosis cases. This outpatient treatment uses radiofrequency energy and and a patented netting tool to remove the endometrium causing the abnormal and excessive bleeding. The Novasure® system is safe and has proven effective for 90% of patients. These women reported that bleeding was either drastically reduced or ceased altogether. Novasure® endometrial ablation is a one-time operation which can be conducted in the doctor’s office, typically in five minutes.

What are other treatments for heavy periods?

There are a variety of treatments available for heavy periods and Dr. Patel-Shusterman will recommend the best treatment for the root cause of the issue. Some less invasive treatments include medicines such as NSAIDs, Tranexamic acid, oral contraceptives, progesterone, and the hormonal IUD (Mirena). In other cases, surgical treatment may be the best treatment. Surgical treatments include dilation and curettage, uterine artery embolization, ablation (Novasure®), myomectomy to remove fibroids, and, in very severe cases, hysterectomy. Dr. Patel Shusterman will talk to you at length about your symptoms and  discuss all options with you in detail before moving forward with a course of treatment.