Uterine Balloon Therapy?

Fiona59 · Jul 7, 2005

There are alot of things to be considered here. How old is your friend? Does she have children, want children, family complete? She should ask why the doc thinks the hystertomy is likely, don't they have faith in the balloon procedure? Does it have a high success/failure rate?

I had a hys. on my 40th birthday and never regretted it. Family complete, ovaries left in to prevent sudden menopause, didn't want to live with a prolapsed uterus with pessary for support. I've never regretted it. But then I knew what I was doing, had no desire to have more children, and don't tie my womb to my femininity.

I know that the powers that be say there are a boatload of unnecessary womb removals but if you've had those problems, you never think yours was unnecessary.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 7, 2005

We've have high success rates with the balloon therapy. It's difficult to say whether this would work for your friend or not, but it might be a good option for her, depending on her circumstances.

midwife2b · Jul 7, 2005

My GYN doctor had it and was back to work after a 4 day weekend. She has had no problems. So I wanted it... but couldn't because of fibroids.

Its a great procedure for those who can have it.

Your friend should do her homework and then talk to her doctor about it... or get a second opinion. I'm a firm believer in working up to the major surgery after trying all reasonable options!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jul 7, 2005

http://www.gynecare.com/bgdisplay.jhtml?itemname=heavy_periods_basic_information&mi=0

KRVRN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2005

:balloons:

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jul 8, 2005

I had this done several years ago, and even though it didn't stop my periods entirely, they've never been anywhere near what they used to be........I used to go through 2 super-plus tampons, an extra-thick Kotex, and a Depends in an hour sometimes, for days at a time. Of course, I'm nearing menopause and my periods have become extremely irregular anyway, and I'll even go several months without one. But even when I do have them, the worst days require only one tampon and one pad at a time.

I'm very glad I had the ablation done, although I would have had a hysterectomy if my insurance company at that time hadn't denied payment.......guess they didn't think I'd suffered enough, even though my H&H were 9.1 and 26, I felt terrible all the time, and I often missed work because I couldn't get off the toilet for hours at a time! :angryfire I didn't see the need to keep my uterus, I was 43 and certainly done with childbearing, and I've been menstruating since I was barely 11, so I would've been GLAD to be rid of everything. Now I've got masses on my ovary and adnexae, and I wish more than ever that I'd been able to have the hyst, but that's a story for another day..........I definitely recommend this procedure, however, because it does help a lot, and the recovery time is very short (I had it done on a Tuesday afternoon, and was back at work the next Monday morning).

sddlnscp · Jul 8, 2005

Wow - thanks a lot you guys! My friend is in her mid-30's and does not want any more children. I think she was actually pretty excited about the procedure, I was just a little concerned because I had never heard of it before - I did some searches on the net and found some great information. That combined with your information will really help her to make an informed decision. I am going to let her know and see if she would like to get a second opinion as well - I know a great OB/GYN that I think I'll recommend to her. It sounds like it will probably be a good option for her and may save her from the hyst. Thank you all so much for the input - I really appreciate it & I know she will too!

Thanks again - have a glorious weekend everybody!!! :)

sddlnscp · Jul 8, 2005

P.S. Marie LPN - thank you so much for the site - I e-mailed the link to my friend, but not before I checked it out - it is wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!