Endometriosis
Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. Since endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue lining your pelvis, for some women, it can cause severe pelvic pain and make it harder to get pregnant.
Endometriosis can start at a woman’s first menstrual period and continue until menopause. At Summit Women’s Health, we understand the pain and impact endometriosis can have on your life, and we’re here to connect you to treatment options that may help.
What are the symptoms of endometriosis?
For many women, the most notable symptom is pelvic pain. While some may associate this pain with normal menstrual period cramping, those with endometriosis describe experiencing a menstrual pain that is more intense. Painful periods are known as dysmenorrhea, and this pain (which may include pelvic, lower back, or abdominal pain) may start a couple days before your menstrual period and last until several days afterward.
Other common symptoms may include:
Pain during intercourse
Pain with bowel movements or urination
Heavy menstrual periods or bleeding between periods (intermenstrual bleeding)
Infertility
Fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating or nausea, especially during menstrual periods
What are the treatment methods for endometriosis?
The providers at Summit Women’s Health offer a variety of options to help women suffering from heavy or irregular menstrual flows. We may first start with what’s considered standard treatment methods, such as pain management, hormonal medication, and intrauterine devices (IUD).
But if traditional treatments don’t help your symptoms, our providers will be there to inform you of other methods to consider. Endometrial ablation is one such method, a surgery aimed at reducing menstrual bleeding.
What is endometrial ablation?
Ablation is the use of heat, cold, or electricity to remove a thin layer of tissue that lines the uterus, also called the endometrium. This procedure is done to stop or reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, but keep in mind that it’s often only recommended to those who do not plan to have any children in the future.
At Summit Women’s Health, our providers specialize in the use of Minerva technology to perform this procedure in the office. By using a hysteroscope, a small lighted tube with a camera, our providers are able to examine the interior of the cervix to locate abnormal growths or tissue.
What is the Minerva system?
The Minerva Ablation System, approved by the FDA in 2015, provides care specific to individual patient needs. The Minerva System’s Plasma Energy permanently removes the endometrium, which causes menstrual bleeding, meaning that this procedure can reduce or completely stop many symptoms of endometriosis.
Summit Women’s Health uses the Minerva system because of its:
fast rate of function, finishing most operations in 3 to 4 minutes
patient satisfaction rate of 98%
treatment amenorrhea rate (not one drop of blood) 66%
This is a safe and effective procedure for patients who are suffering from endometriosis symptoms. Endometrial ablation can be done in-office at Summit Women’s Health, and patients can return home the very same day.
What are the risks of endometrial ablation?
Post-procedure complications after endometrial ablation are rare. Although extremely uncommon, it is possible to experience pain, bleeding, and infection after the surgery. Holes in the wall of the womb or damage to the uterine wall or cervix are a possibility, especially when the procedure is performed by less experienced physicians.
As mentioned before, our providers typically recommend that all childbearing desires have been fulfilled before undergoing endometrial ablation. Due to the scarring of the uterine wall, the risk of miscarriage increases after the procedure.
In successful cases, women experience much lighter menstrual periods. Up to 30-50% of women cease to have periods at all.
Heavy and painful periods don’t have to control your life. Summit Women’s Health providers are here to review your symptoms, discuss treatment options, and answer your questions. To book an appointment at Summit Women’s Health in Princeton, West Virginia, with Brandon M. Lingenfelter, DO, PhD; Megan Lingenfelter, PA; Sam Snyder, DO; or Valeah Bradshaw, NP, call us at (681) 282-5591 or use our scheduling portal.